Canada has had a seasonal agricultural guest worker program in place for over forty years now yet I would be surprised if 1% of the population knows anything about it. Farming is tragically one of those industries where much of the urban population is left uninformed beyond being able to recognize the fruits and vegetables available in local super markets. So it isn’t a huge surprise that the rights of these guest workers remain a low priority to the Canadian government. As has been true to nearly all cases of social inequalities throughout history, if there isn’t a loud outcry from the people, there is no need to recognize the delivered harm.

… upwards of 20,000 workers are called in from Mexico and the Caribbean on a seasonal basis to fill the void.”

A guest worker program is typically set up to provide employers a means to extract foreign labor into a host country which lacks the labor, skilled or otherwise, required from its own citizens. In Canada, or more specifically in Ontario where over 80% of these guest workers are located, public interest in rural based industries remains minimal. Low wages, manual labor and the comfort potential of urbanization are all reasons why fewer and fewer Canadians are willing to commit themselves to farm jobs. Yet, with a strong free trade agreement in place across the continent, Ontario has become a net agricultural exporter for major crops like apples, tomatoes, tobacco, cucumbers, peaches, cherries, and ginseng. As a result of this trend, upwards of 20,000 workers are called in from Mexico and the Caribbean on a seasonal basis to fill the void. (continued on pg. P4…)

Mere hours after the first nuclear arms test in North Korea; the United Nations nominated their next secretary general in Ban Ki-moon of South Korea. After reading up on his accomplishments and the respect he has garnered internationally, it appears to be a smart choice. The timing of his nomination could have been looked at as rather suspicious (considering his history as a south Korean diplomat and recent North Korean news) but it was indeed planned for quite some time. All other reasonable candidates for the position had dropped out and for all intents and purposes, he should be a worthy successor to Kofi Annan. Shortly after his nomination was made official, he had these words to say, “This should be a moment of joy. But instead, I stand here with a very heavy heart. Despite the concerted warning from the international community, North Korea has gone ahead with a nuclear test.” Those may quite possibly be words that define his legacy as he has vowed to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis once he becomes secretary-general. Hopefully, his influence and experience in the region will do just that. Kofi Annan, whose second term expires in January, had his own goals early on when he became secretary-general. (continued on pg. P3…)

Sunday marked the commencement of the sixteenth International AIDS Conference and with it came what will surely be a media diversion that will pull away from what this week is all about. Approximately 27,000 HIV/AIDS scientists, activists, journalists and patients were on hand when Dr. Mark Wainberg, a prominent AIDS researcher, began the evening with an attack on Prime minister Stephen Harper by saying, “HIV is one of the worst enemies we have on this planet. Why is Mr. Harper not here to show leadership on the world stage? As a Canadian it breaks my heart.” He continued by accusing Harper of “poor politics” but suggested to the audience that they shouldn’t put any of the blame onto Tony Clement, The Minister of Health, who was going to speak in the upcoming minutes. But Pandora’s box had been opened and when it was turn for Mr. Clement to make his comments, loud chants of “Where is Stephen Harper?” were repeated several times over, and the camera kept returning to a sign that read, “Sleep in Steve? HIV Never Sleeps!” It’s true, HIV does not sleep, and that’s why Harper’s absence should make headlines during the next election campaign, not during the remainder of the conference in Toronto. (continued on pg. P2…)