“When you bring an animal in, you have
to process the entire carcass,” he said.
“We can’t just put it back and wait until
next week. If I don’t have enough people,
I just have to do products that are simpler,
so that I can still get the product through.
The end result is we don’t collect as much
value from that carcass.”
Entz estimated that Cargill has brought
in 1,100 foreign workers to High River
over the years, the vast majority of whom
have become permanent residents or
citizens.
“And if you annualize the turnover,
we’re probably about six per cent for that
group—which, for our industry, is just
outstanding.”
Like Paskal, Entz values the commitment
displayed by the foreign workers.
“This is a career for them. Just being
honest, for most of the Canadian folks
we hire, working on our operation isn’t
necessarily a career for them.”
Al Dooley, labour recruitment
specialist at Alberta Agriculture and Rural
Development, agreed that agriculture
can be a tough sell for potential
employees.
“Young people have lots of options,
and in some ways we should be happy
about that,” he said.
Dooley doesn’t see the solution
coming entirely from within Canada’s
borders.
“If you get into economies like Alberta
and Saskatchewan, where you’re
approaching full employment, how will
we deal with this? It’s a complicated
issue, for sure.”
While everyone worries about the
economic impact, many in the industry
feel we should also spare a thought for
the individuals most affected by changes
to the TFWP: the workers themselves.
“These people come here, moving
their whole families, with a really good
work ethic,” said Bryan Walton, CEO
of Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association.
“They come here to seek opportunities.
They will help us sustain our rural
communities in a time when we see the
rural populations declining. If you look
at it that way, we’re providing a service
to the federal government. We’re not
displacing Canadians.”
In return, Walton believes we owe our
foreign workers a fair shot at a new life.
“The insinuation that these people
came here knowing it was temporary is
disingenuous,” he said. In his view, we
shouldn’t bring people to Canada under
one set of assumptions and then change
the rules and send them packing.
“That is uncivil. This is the human
side of the story, and it’s uncivil what’s
happening. That should not happen in
our country.”
Nevertheless, Paskal said companies
are being forced to do just that.
Processors who are already short of
bodies are having to send people home
in order to comply with new caps on
foreign workers, he claimed.
“We’re the political pawn in the centre
here. And our government is going to
force good, legitimate businesses out of
this country. I can’t think of another word
for it but ‘bull—.’”
In the meantime, Hurtado and Gomez
are hopeful for their families’ future, and
grateful for the opportunities they’ve had
through the TFWP. With every passing
month, said Hurtado, Alberta feels more
like home. He has even joined the Rotary
Club, although he admittedly doesn’t
make every meeting.
“I wish I had more time and I was a
better Rotarian,” he said.
Gomez and his wife have two sons,
and a young daughter born in Canada.
“My eldest kid is playing hockey—we
don’t have that in Mexico,” he laughed.
“I was a coach last year of football—sorry,
soccer! We’re trying to get involved in
the community, to feel like this is our
home.”
He’s also struggling to remain
patient as he navigates his way towards
permanent residency.
“Every country has their own rules,” he
observed ruefully, “but some rules are
changing every six months.”
Gomez is also proud of the value he
has brought to Paskal Cattle.
“Each time that I see Rick Paskal, I tell
him, ‘Thank you.’ And he says, ‘No—
thank you.’”
Spring
2015
Grains
West
30
