SAWP

Benevolent Foreign Aid or Mutually Beneficial Exploitation?

Abstract

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) is a bilateral agreement between Canada and recipient countries that allows for the temporary migration of seasonal workers to Canadian farms during peak seasons. While often touted as a model of mutually beneficial cooperation, the SAWP creates a system of exploitation for both workers and the host government. Through an analysis of the program's structure and regulations concerning the Canada-Mexico relationship, this paper argues that the SAWP reinforces power imbalances between the two countries and creates a cycle of dependency for Mexico. By examining the social and economic clauses of the SAWP, this paper demonstrates how the program creates vulnerable workers and exploitative relationships at both the individual and state levels. Ultimately, the SAWP highlights the complex and often unequal dynamics of international labour migration.