Amnesty International invites you to a film screening of the documentary My Friend Omar at our Toronto office on Wednesday, July 9, at 6:30 p.m. to raise awareness of human rights abuses related to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Free event, all are welcome!
Film synopsis: My Friend Omar: The struggles of a seasonal worker follows Quebecois-Chilean actor Christian de la Cortina, who, while preparing for his role as Sandro in “5e rang,” forms a friendship with Omar, a seasonal Guatemalan worker. This documentary unveils the persistent abuses in some Quebec farms, exposing the shortcomings of a system meant to protect foreign workers during the harvest seasons. It also highlights Omar’s solidarity and fight for justice, representing the voice of often invisible workers.
The design of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) exposes labourers from the Global South to shocking abuse and discrimination, Amnesty International charges in a new report. ‘Canada has destroyed me’: Labour exploitation of migrant workers in Canada [PDF] criticizes the structure of the TFWP, which allows employers to hire migrant workers, primarily for low-paid jobs, across various sectors, including agriculture, food processing, the care system, construction and hospitality. TFWP work permits tie workers to a single employer who controls both their migration status and labour conditions.
Learn more about Amnesty’s report: https://amnesty.ca/features/temporary-foreign-workers-report/
WATCH FILM TRAILER
For more information, contact activism@amnesty.ca.
