Food security will be compromised if foreign workers aren’t allowed to cross the border into Canada during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Quebec’s food production industry.
The industry relies on an estimated 16,000 foreign workers every year and their employers are now calling on the government to give them an exemption under the new restrictions limiting entry to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. “This is a question of food security,” said Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA) president Marcel Groleau, adding that there is nothing to panic about just yet, but that decisions need to be made in order to ensure the continuity of the food production process. “Foreign workers are essential and that’s why we ask the Canadian