March 14, 2021

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Re: Follow-up to concerns over logistics of day-10 COVID-19 test for TFWs

Dear Ministers Hajdu and Bibeau,

Following our letter on March 5, we are writing to ask for an immediate solution to the serious challenges that have arisen due to the day-10 test for incoming temporary foreign workers. Failure to address these concerns will undoubtedly create a disaster in terms of timely access to these needed workers, and ultimately threaten our ability to secure stable domestic food production this season.

We are very concerned that many of the challenges raised in our previous letter have already manifested, and are expected to continue as the peak arrival of TFWs continue. Not only do these problems threaten the ability of farms to continue their essential operation, but it threatens the safety of workers and the communities they live in. The most prevalent problems that have already arisen include:

- Inability of workers to register for the Switch Health appointment due to lack of provincial health card number. This has been a fundamental oversight, and prevents many incoming workers from even registering with a nurse to self-administer their test. - Some workers did not receive the test at the airport. Employers want to ensure the health and safety of their workers, but this cannot be achieved if incoming TFWs are not provided with the adequate testing kit prior to leaving the airport. - Long waiting times, in excess of 2,000 people in the queue, to speak with a customer service representative with Switch Health. - Workers have had their calls dropped after many hours waiting on line. - Some workers are not able to get into switch health queue at all. - In cases where workers who are unable to register with Switch due to these challenges, employers have already been contacted by PHAC, notifying them that because the test was missed at day 10, they are now in violation and workers must be in quarantine for another 14 days. - Courier pick-up is not offered on weekends. Industry has been assured from government that Switch Health contracted delivery services for completed test kits, but problems have already arisen with the reliability of pick-ups. In these cases, clarity is needed as to whether alternate couriers can be accepted and, if they are not immediately available, how samples should be stored until they are picked up.

These issues have created considerable challenges for employers and the workers they are responsible for, and have left them in a very precarious position. Our industry remains ready to work collaboratively with government to address these concerns and attain our shared public health objectives. In order to accomplish this, we are proposing the following suggestions to better achieve positive solutions:

1. Provide farmers with access to federally accredited labs that have the ability and capacity to administer tests. The current system is clearly overwhelmed, so there is a need to look for other means of administering the tests. Working with these labs will also expedite the processing of tests and ensure timely results. 2. In regions where labs are not available to administer and process tests, facilitate provincial or local health units to administer the tests. This would allow for flexibility to better reflect the differing resources available across the country. In regions where these resources are already stretched thin, the federal government should allow qualified service providers to administer on-site testing. 3. In situations where labs or local service providers can be made available, and where provinces have opted to require their own second test, allow these results to be used instead.

The proposal to work with local health unites was also highlighted in our March 5 letter, and remains a preferred situation to maximize the accuracy and reliability of test results. This will become even more critical as the peak arrival time of TFWs approaches, and will help prevent a repeat of the problems currently arising.

We know the challenges posed by administering these tests, but government must also acknowledge the enormous strain it is putting on our industry. We share the same objectives with these tests – to maintain the safety of workers and those in their communities – but this will not be accomplished if the shortcomings with the current system continue.

We look forward to your attention to these issue, and ongoing work to ensure they are resolved as quickly as possible.

Respectfully,

Brian Gilroy President, Canadian Horticultural Council

Cc:

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

Lianne Rood, Conservative Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food Michelle Rempel, Conservative Critic for Health Raquel Dancho, Conservative Critic for Future Workplace Development and Diversity Inclusion Alistair MacGregor, NDP Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food Don Davies, NDP Critic for Health Daniel Blaikie, NDP Critic for Employment, Workforce Development, and Diversity Inclusion Yves Perron, Bloc Quebecois Critic For Agriculture and Agri-Food Luc Theriault, Bloc Quebecois Critic for Health Louise Chabot, Bloc Quebecois for Employment, Workforce Development, and Diversity Inclusion Iain Stewart, President, Public Health Agency of Canada Zoë Caron, Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada