A Canada–Jamaica agricultural labour partnership that began in 1966 is marking its 60th anniversary, highlighting one of the longest-running formal employment links between the two countries.
The British Columbia Fruit Growers’ Association recently highlighted the anniversary following an Okanagan visit by Jamaica’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr., and a Jamaican delegation. The visit included farms and discussions with workers and employers.
Six decades of seasonal employment
The Jamaican-Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program began as a bilateral arrangement designed to meet Canadian agricultural labour needs while creating temporary overseas employment opportunities for Jamaicans. It later became part of the wider Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program involving additional Caribbean and Mexican workers.
Jamaica Information Service reported earlier this year that more than 8,000 Jamaicans travelled to Canada through the programme in 2025. Thousands were returning workers with long experience in Canadian agriculture, while more than 1,000 were new participants.
Partnership — and responsibility
Anniversary events have emphasized the relationships among workers, growers, liaison officials and both governments. At the same time, the programme’s longevity makes worker welfare, recruitment integrity, working conditions and employer compliance continuing issues requiring oversight.
For Jamaica, the programme remains a major overseas-employment channel. For Canadian growers, particularly in labour-intensive agricultural regions, Jamaican seasonal workers have become a longstanding part of annual farm operations.
Sixty years after the first agreement, the programme remains a tangible example of the economic connection between Jamaica and Canada — one measured not only in policy agreements, but in generations of workers and farms participating on both sides.
Verified sources
- BC Fruit Growers’ Association: https://www.bcfga.com/bcfga-celebrates-60-years-of-a-true-canada-jamaica-agriculturalpartnership/
- Jamaica Information Service: https://jis.gov.jm/more-than-8000-seasonal-agricultural-workers-travelled-to-canada-in-2025/
