Every year, responding to pressure to work outside their home countries, temporary migrant workers come to Canada to complete essential work that sustains the Canadian economy and communities. In 2023, statistics report that 184,235 migrant workers entered Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). These workers harvest produce, care for families, construct houses, cook meals, and more.
The immigration system is designed in such a way that many of these workers end up experiencing abuse, harassment, and exploitation. But most Canadians have no idea these conditions exist. Collaborative Network to End Exploitation (CNEE), administered by Sisters of St Joseph of Toronto, seeks to address this gap by educating the Canadian public about the conditions these workers face and the kinds of policy changes that are needed to make Canada a more equitable place for all.
Previous projects include our short CNEE animated video outlining the key issues, our podcast documentary series, and our Migrant Worker Exercise. This year, we are partnering with Mixed Company Theatre (MCT) on an exciting new project with the working title Harvest Justice.
Harvest Justice will use Forum Theatre: an interactive, participatory, UNESCO recognized tool for communal dialogue, learning, and catalyzing social change – to tell stories and highlight the root causes of injustices migrant workers face, equipping audiences with the tools they need to join the migrant worker movement for a more just, equitable, and sustainable Canada. Over 25 current and former migrant workers have agreed to contribute to the project so far.
Audiences will experience MCT’s interactive approach that catalyzes the audience to develop real-time strategies for empowering social change around the challenges faced by migrant workers. In an MCT production, a story with no resolution to the challenges presented is performed. The story is then presented again—only this second time, audience members can intervene in the story, as “spect-actors,” to develop new attitudes, knowledge and to create a positive alternative ending.
In fall of 2025, the play will be presented to audiences in Guelph and Toronto. In the spring of 2026, we hope to take the production on the road and tour communities in southern Ontario.
Mixed Company Theatre produces innovative, socially relevant drama as a tool for positive change. Founded in 1983, this nationally recognized not-for-profit today uses Forum Theatre and interactive arts to Educate, Engage and Empower audiences in schools, communities and workplaces.
The Collaborative Network to End Exploitation is administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and supported by a core working group: the Sisters, AMIGRAR Immigration Consulting Inc., FCJ Refugee Centre, Office of Justice and Peace, Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, Mary Ward Centre, Loretto Sisters, The United Church of Canada, and KAIROS.
