Manitoba vaccine rollout failing to reach migrant workers, advocates say

Nora Velazquez says her recent conversations with some Mexican migrant workers in southern Manitoba reveals a gap in access to vaccines.

"They told me, 'We don't have vaccines, we don't have clinics nearby, we don't have cars to go get a vaccine, we want vaccines but we don't have access to them,'" says Velazquez, a permanent resident from Mexico who immigrated to Manitoba for school as an international student about a decade ago. 

Velazquez is working with Migrante Manitoba — which advocates for temporary foreign workers, seasonal agricultural workers, undocumented workers and newcomers — and other organizations to push for greater vaccine access for seasonal foreign workers in the province.

Migrante Manitoba and a consortium of other organizations called Healthcare For All Manitoba issued a statement Monday expressing "grave concern" about how many eligible migrant farm workers remain unvaccinated due to barriers to getting immunized.

No Manitoba Health card required

Dr. Joss Reimer, the medical lead of Manitoba's vaccine rollout, has repeated in recent months — sometimes delivering the message in Spanish — that migrant workers are eligible, as is anyone who has been in the province for at least a month. No Manitoba Health card is required.

Apart from issues accessing vaccination sites, what's lacking is information, said Diwa Marcelino, an organizer with Migrante Manitoba.

"There's just a total information block. Farm workers have been telling us they don't know when they will get the vaccine. They have no information about timelines. They don't know if they're eligible."

Healthcare For All states over 1,000 migrant workers Canada-wide have contracted COVID-19 so far.

Marcelino said it's clear those workers, who often live in shared congregate settings, are at risk and should've been prioritized for vaccination.

"Migrant workers are vulnerable and are precarious to begin with," said Marcelino.

"This is something that we've known for over a year now, and it's unacceptable that we are still talking about vaccine access for migrant workers. It should be done. The province should make this happen, and migrant workers should be as safe as everyone else."

Anthony Huynh, another organizer with Migrante Manitoba, said temporary foreign workers have struggled with barriers to local health care since before the pandemic. 

"The workers interviewed … they're worried to even speak out, you know, around health and safety, let alone access to vaccination, because they don't want to be terminated or sent back home," said Huynh, a PhD candidate in community health sciences at the University of Manitoba focused on migrant worker health.

"It's like the idea that, you know, we need to support our families, our family's livelihood depends on us.… With that in mind, they're willing to put up with the abuse."

Through his research, one prevailing theme Huynh has encountered in talks with workers lately is a general lack of knowledge of their health and safety rights and how to get immunized.

"[One] worker was perplexed," said Huynh. "He said this very eloquently, you know, 'We deserve to have them, we just lack the information on how to access the vaccinations."

Huynh said it's also clear based on conversations with workers that at least some employers haven't discussed vaccination options with their seasonal staff. Some workers say their employers' ideological beliefs around vaccines have also got in the way.

"That has been an important finding from … work we've done on the ground."

In a statement sent Tuesday, a provincial spokesperson said officials have been working for several months to support immunization of migrant workers when they arrive in Manitoba.

"Regional health authorities reached out to employers and offered to make group bookings, and on-site visits with focused immunization teams may also be an option in future," the statement says.

"Employers of migrant workers can support their employees by helping to book appointments at our supersites and numerous pop-up/walk-in clinics throughout Manitoba."

Migrant worker employers are also encouraged to reach out to their health region if they have questions, the spokesperson said.