At 60, SAWP stands the test of time

Tania Hernandez performs some Jamaican cultural songs during a 60th anniversary celebration of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, which began as a partnership between the governments of Canada and Jamaica in 1966. ~ Luke Edwards photo

By Luke Edwards

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Ontario is so old that some of its inaugural participants may have actually seen the Toronto Maple Leafs win a Stanley Cup.

As Robert Shuh, the president of the FARMS, which manages the SAWP program, reminisced during a 60th anniversary event held in Niagara-on-the-Lake last month, he contemplated some of the things that have come and gone over that time, 8-tracks and Blackberries, for instance. However, the Leafs fabled drought - they last won the cup in 1967, a year after SAWP began - put the anniversary in perspective.

One of the secrets, suggested Shuh, for the success of the SAWP has been a nonstop drive to get better.

“Continuous improvement is a hallmark of our SAWP program,” he said.

SAWP began as an agreement between the governments of Canada and Jamaica, which at the time had only just gained independence four years prior. Canadian farmers, in desperate need of labour during key periods of the growing season, could access that labour. Jamaicans, in turn, could receive jobs with income that was difficult to find in the fledgling island country.

It has since expanded to several other countries in Central America and the Caribbean, growing from a few hundred workers to several thousand.

In Ontario, fruit growing regions like Niagara have been one of the key areas for the program. In other areas, vegetable growers who require manual labour to maintain and harvest their crops have also benefited.

“So many of our workers have been welcomed over the many decades,” said Althea Riley, chief liaison officer with the Jamaican Liaison Service.

To celebrate those workers and employers who have made the program a success, several awards and plaques were handed out at the 60th anniversary event. That included “day one” employers who have been with the program since 1966, as well as workers who have faithfully returned each growing season for several decades.

“You represent the very best of our program,” said Colette Roberts Risden, permanent secretary assigned to the Overseas Employment Program, who brought greetings on behalf of Pearnel Charles, Jamaica’s minister of labour and social security.

“This program has entirely been built on trust and respect,” said Riley.

And while they acknowledged challenges the program has faced, supporters said they remained committed to Shuh’s description of continuous improvement to make sure it’s a program that works for everyone.

In addition to the awards banquet, the weekend celebration also included a special church service at Cornerstone Community Church. Those peering out at Niagara Falls on the night of April 25 would also have seen the falls lit up in the colours of the Jamaican flag.

Throughout the celebration, dignitaries and SAWP employers put the spotlight on the workers.

“None of this happens without the people who come here to work,” said Erwin Wiens, NOTL’s deputy lord mayor, and a local farmer who utilizes SAWP.

Wiens pointed out that even as they were all gathered to enjoy the afternoon celebration, there were workers out in the fields tending the crops.

“They are members of our community. They are our community,” Wiens said. 