P.E.I. planning phased approach for Temporary Foreign Workers Protection Act

More than a year after P.E.I.'s Temporary Foreign Workers Protection Act received royal assent it has still not been proclaimed.

The act aims to provide additional protection for the workers, beyond those outlined in the provincial Employment Standards Act. Temporary foreign workers are considered uniquely vulnerable, because the work permits they receive through the federal program tie them to a single employer.

"If there's any issues at that workplace they can't just pick up shop and leave and go to another employer. It doesn't work that way. Because of that dynamic the workers have all the incentives to just keep their head down, stay quiet, work long hours and don't complain," said Ryan MacRae, migrant worker program coordinator with the Cooper Institute.

"They don't want to stir up the pot too much because if they do they fear they're going to be fired or they're not going to be asked back the following year."

Temporary foreign workers are crucial to the operation of P.E.I.'s agriculture industry, representing an estimated 40 per cent of workers in the sector.

Last year, CBC P.E.I. reported on a situation on one particular farm where 22 temporary foreign workers were granted open work permits. Open work permits are an escape clause in the event that migrant workers find themselves in abusive situations.

In recognition of the particular vulnerabilities of migrant workers, the P.E.I. Legislature passed the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, which received royal assent in May of last year, but it still needs to be proclaimed to come into force.

In an emailed statement to CBC News, the province said it was still working on regulations connected to the act.

"The next steps will include the introduction of licensing requirements for recruiters of temporary foreign workers," the statement said.

"Following that, the department will work on introducing a new employer registry, which requires employers who hire TFWs to register with the province."

The act will be proclaimed using a phased approach over the course of this year, the email said.