The Migrant Worker Health Expert Working Group (MWH-EWG) was formed in April 2020 to address the needs of migrant agricultural workers (MAWs) in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MWH-EWG includes participation from academic and medical experts as well as clinical and social service leaders representing various key regions where MAWs are living and working.

The objectives of the MWH-EWG are to provide timely evidence-based guidance to both federal and provincial government agencies so that they establish adequate national standards, regulations and practices that ensure the health and safety of MAWs within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide support to federal agencies to ensure coordination and standardization of health service provision for this at-risk population across jurisdictions.

The MWH-EWG supports and advises governments in the development and implementation of standards that ensure the working and living conditions of MAWs enable necessary public health measures to be effectively implemented (including self-isolation, physical distancing and enhanced hygiene standards) to prevent COVID-19 virus transmission while working on Canadian farms and while residing in employer-provided accommodation.

The expert working group seeks to strengthen coordination and communication across governments (with Employment and Social Development and Immigration, Refugee and Canadian Citizenship at the federal level, and provincial ministries of labour and health, particularly in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia) and stakeholders engaged in health and social care provision for this population.

The MWH-EWG aims to support the development of standards and procedures for health care coordination that are designed to prevent and mitigate health and social challenges that MAWs are likely to face (or are currently facing) within the context of the current pandemic, and reduce barriers to accessing health information and medical care.

This group also aims to strengthen communication and information dissemination to MAWs. The MWH-EWG advises governments, agencies and health care providers in outreach and communication with migrant agricultural workers, health care providers, and community organizations to ensure that migrant workers can access medical care and adequate information about their health and legal rights.