Discipline and resistance in southwestern Ontario

Securitization of migrant workers and their acts of defiance

Bibliographic Data

ID18988656
AuthorsChris Ramsaroop (Justicia for Migrant Workers (J4MW) Toronto Canada, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume23
Issue3
Pages600-610
Publication date2023-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Agrarian Change (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1471-0358 • E-ISSN: 1471-0366
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/joac.12541
OpenAlexW4365146828
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited8

COVID‐19 has had deep impacts on a wide range of vulnerable communities in Canada. Migrant agricultural workers in the southwestern region of Ontario were particularly impacted. Fearing the threat of the ‘racialized foreign other’, the Canadian state produced myriad securitization responses with heightened surveillance. This paper will examine both state and non‐state forms of securitization and the response from both workers and activists such as the advocacy group Justicia for Migrant Workers (J4MW). While there has been ample discussion of how vulnerable migrant agricultural workers were affected during the pandemic, there has been less attention paid to how state policies have heightened and targeted specific groups such as migrant agricultural workers through modes of securitization. Central to this was to ensure that labour needs would be met to ensure the viability of Canada's multi‐billion agricultural industry. This paper shows how securitization and control were vital to ensure no disruptions to production levels and Canada's role as a leading agricultural export producer

Agriculture · Business · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Farm workers · Geography · Migrant workers · Securitization · Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Finance

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