As Newfoundland and Labrador increasingly relies on newcomer and migrant workers to prop up key industries, but human rights advocates are warning that labor trafficking is rising—fuelled by Canada’s deeply flawed Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). While official reports in the province remain relatively low, experts stress this is not a sign of safety. Rather, it is a sign that silence is being driven by fear, isolation, and structural vulnerability.
According to a new report from the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, reports of suspected labor trafficking across Canada rose by 317 percent in 2024 compared to previous years. Julia Drydyk, the Centre’s executive director, points to the root of the problem in an article by The Independent:
Migrant workers are made vulnerable by structural inequities built into the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. When employers seize on those vulnerabilities, it creates the conditions in which exploitation can take hold.
Political concern without protection
Despite mounting evidence, Newfoundland and Labrador’s political leadership has yet to commit to meaningful reform. Premier Tony Wakeham said he was “proud to be a pro-trades-union premier.” But when asked directly whether his government would legislate protections for migrant workers, his response fell short.
For advocates, concern without action is not enough. Dolores Mullings, a professor at Memorial University’s School of Social Work, is clear: “Being concerned is not enough. You have to have actions behind that.”
Isolation, fear, and closed permits
Migrant workers in rural and remote areas are especially vulnerable. Drydyk notes that exploitation often flourishes “where we’re finding industries that are bringing in temporary foreign workers” but where outreach and enforcement are limited. Newfoundland and Labrador relies heavily on migrant labour in seafood processing, healthcare, construction, and agriculture—sectors where workers are frequently employed on closed permits that prevent them from changing jobs.
Maria Mulcahy of the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador describes the devastating consequences:
If anything goes wrong or they do face exploitation or harm, it’s like they could lose their job and also their home.
Fear of retaliation, deportation, or homelessness keeps many from coming forward. As the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission confirms, many workers “do not proceed through the human rights complaint process… out of fear of retaliation or immigration related consequences.”
The path forward
Other provinces have shown change is possible. Prince Edward Island and British Columbia have introduced migrant worker–specific legislation, including bans on recruitment fees and passport confiscation. Newfoundland and Labrador must follow suit—and push the federal government to dismantle the closed work permit system altogether.
Freedom United is calling for safe migration policies and laws that protect people from exploitation, including open work permits, permanent status pathways, and proactive enforcement. Join the call and take action.
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