The Climate Crisis Is Highlighting the Mistreatment of Canada’s Migrant Workers
After a summer of disastrous forest fires, British Columbia is now experiencing extreme flooding. As well as causing untold misery for Canadian citizens, environmental catastrophe is also exposing how few protections exist for migrant workers.
In an aerial view, floodwaters surround homes and farms in Abbotsford, British Columbia. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Migrant farmworkers in British Columbia (BC) are caught in the middle of a devastating clash between a climate change–fueled flooding crisis and a highly exploitative labor system.
On the weekend of November 13, parts of southern BC saw a month’s worth of rain in less than two days. The extreme weather triggered deadly mudslides that wiped out sections of busy highways, forcing entire communities to evacuate. New flood warnings and evacuations are being ordered as the province braces for another storm this week.
The deluge created by the record rainfall washed out vital infrastructure. Flooding cut Vancouver off from the rest of Canada and submerged key roads and railway lines. Observers note that the intensity and volume of rainfall is yet another incontrovertible sign of climate change.
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