FEBRUARY 2025
CELEBRATING 146 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION
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Jamaica shines in the Great White North
This Schooley family photo includes Jamaican workers, some of whom have been travelling to Apple Hill Lavender Farm, Windham Centre, Ontario for 40 years. That’s reason enough to celebrate the apple and lavender harvest, but for Jamaicans, 2025 represents another milestone. It’s the 59th year for the Caribbean country to send workers to Canada. L-R: Evon Tomlin, Willie Leslie, Jennifer Schooley, Harold Schooley, Roy Campbell, Phillip Robinson, Courtney Stanley, Carlton Fowler. Photo by Lauren Miller. KAREN DAVIDSON Sun is shining, the weather is sweet, yeah Make you wanna move your dancing feet now To the rescue, here I am Want you to know, y'all, can you understand? When Bob Marley recorded “Sun is shining” in 1971, he was all about the Jamaica family writ large. And the 9,000 Jamaicans who come to work on Canadian farms every year, can relate. They repeatedly sign up to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) with the belief that they are “to the rescue”, bringing sunnier days to their families. Pearnel Charles Jr., Jamaica’s minister of labour and social security, personally sent off the first group of 2025 on January 6. They were heading for destinations in Ontario and New Brunswick. This is the run-up year to the 60th anniversary of the program that has, since its inception, contributed US$3.1 billion in worker
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Administrative changes Appointed in May 2023, Hon. Charles has spearheaded a reimagining of the program by incorporating the motto: “leave no one behind.” While a recruitment process identifies candidates who will best adapt to the cultural and working conditions in Canada, workers found to be deficient in language or numeracy skills are supported with educational enhancement and appropriate
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remittances sent home to Jamaica. According to the World Bank, remittances from wages represent almost 19 per cent of Jamaica’s GDP and rank second only to tourism in foreign exchange contributions. “The success of the Overseas Employment Programme (OEP) depends on the attitude, conduct, and behaviour of our ambassadors, you, the workers,” shared the Honorable Minister at the January 6th event and reported in Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner. He went on to add “When you excel, you unlock doors for many more Jamaicans to benefit from this opportunity.”
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jobs in Jamaica. His approach, preparing Jamaican workers for future success, has been informed by the experience he previously gained as minister of agriculture and fisheries. He’s a strong believer in the flourishing 4-H program and the network of agricultural colleges across the island. Hon. Charles was barely into his tenure as labour minister when he became embroiled in the controversial report of the UN Special Rapporteur, Tomoy Obokata, on contemporary forms of slavery. In August 2023, Mr. Obokata generated headlines in both Jamaica and Canada when he alleged Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs were a breeding ground for abuse. For many Jamaicans, the Special Rapporteur’s report was an affront to their pride and threatened their jobs. The resulting public storm prompted Hon. Charles to travel to Canadian farms and to speak directly with Jamaican workers.
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