Forty-two farm workers left the island today for Canada, to take up employment opportunities in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
The customary send-off ceremony was held for the workers at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security's Overseas Employment Services Centre, downtown Kingston.
Portfolio Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. reminded the workers that they are ambassadors of the country when they go overseas.
“Sometimes we have our farm workers go to Canada or to the United States; anybody you interact with, anybody who has never been to Jamaica and speaks to you will say to themselves, 'this is what Jamaica is, this is how Jamaicans are', and they will decide how they feel about the country based on what they see in you,” Charles Jr. said.
“If you work hard and you do well, you go up there and you remember what our granny and our mothers teach us, then they will say to themselves 'Jamaica is a place I want to get more workers from',” he added.
Charles Jr. also warned the workers not to go to Canada with the wrong focus, as they will not be good ambassadors.
“I want to implore you all to be good ambassadors for your country, for your community and for yourself and I want to wish you all the best,” he said.
He also informed that the ministry has provided the workers with a document informing them of their rights.
The Overseas Employment Programme, administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, facilitates the selection and recruitment of workers who participate in programmes in the United States and Canada. The ministry has been doing so since 1953.
The programme provides employment for Jamaican workers in various fields, including the agricultural and hospitality industries.
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