Migration as a Global Labour Supply System

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) is a circular migration scheme in which workers migrate from Mexico and the Caribbean on a temporary basis to fill the labour gaps in the agricultural sector throughout Canada. The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia (B.C) where this study is situated, is one of the many regions workers migrate to. Here workers fall victim to numerous forms of exploitation and abuse as a result of the specific program structure and employer practices. This study examines the structural state of vulnerability that migrant workers experience, specifically analyzing how this shapes their ability to form solidarity bonds with one another in the program. Through Walia’s theory of border imperialism and Foucault’s theory of biopower, this paper looks at the larger structures that shape the program and how this translates into the localized experiences of workers. Engagement with collective action becomes a central experience for workers in the SAWP as they navigate living and working in Canada.