Inter Pares Webinar: Migrant Worker Rights in the time of COVID-19
Posted: July 27, 2020
Categories: Food in the News / GoodFoodBites / Webinars
Photo credit: Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW) & Inter Pares
Inter Pares is hosting a webinar discussion on migrant workers’ rights with activists Min Sook Lee, Gabriel Allahdua, and Karen Cocq, on Wednesday, July 29, from 7 – 8:15 p.m. EST.
“COVID-19 has drawn attention to the unfair treatment of migrant workers in Canada and the systemic problems with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program,” Inter Pares shared. “The precarious situation of migrant farmworkers in particular has been in the news, with several workers dying from the virus and numerous workers vulnerable to contracting it.”
To express solidarity with migrant workers and hear how you can help support their rights, register for the webinar here.
As background for the discussion, it is encouraged that all participants watch Min Sook Lee’s award-winning documentary Migrant Dreams.
Panelist info copied from Inter Pares:
Min Sook Lee is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter and community activist. She has directed numerous critically acclaimed documentaries, including, on the theme of migrant worker rights: El Contrato (2003), nominated for the Donald Brittain Gemini, and Migrant Dreams (2016). Min Sook is an Associate Professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design University where she teaches Art and Social Change. She was a candidate for the 2019 Canadian federal election, representing the riding of Toronto-Danforth.
Gabriel Allahdua is a former farmworker from St Lucia, and an organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers, J4MW. Gabriel came to Canada in 2012 after a hurricane devastated his country, destroying the livelihoods of rural farmers. As an organizer with J4MW, Gabriel has been able to support many other workers in learning and standing up for their rights at the workplace. He has given numerous media interviews and helped draw national attention to the situation affecting migrant workers in Canada.
Karen Cocq is Campaigns Coordinator for the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. She has been active in migrant justice, workers’ rights, and anti-poverty organizing for almost two decades. Karen was program manager for Central America at Inter Pares from 2007 to 2011.
UPDATE: Recording now available on YouTube below