Labor Minister spoke passionately about the abuse of migrant workers

Under the new bill, employers who withhold workers' passports will receive heavy fines.

"My message to those scumbags out there abusing migrant workers is this: you can run but you can’t hide. We will find you, fine you and put you behind bars," said the bill's author, Labor Minister Monte McNaughton.

From now on, labor inspectors can charge a fine of CAD 250 for each taken passport or work permit, but when the new amendments come into force, this amount could reach CAD 100,000. In the future, the fine could go up to CAD 200,000.

The law will also require employers to double the number of toilets for workers on construction sites, including at least one women's toilet at a site. McNaughton also prepared support measures for remote workers in case of mass layoffs: they will be entitled to the standard eight-week minimum notice of termination, just like in-office workers.

The Canadian government is trying to protect international workers, who often suffer from violations of their rights; sometimes they even become victims of human trafficking. A year ago, Canadian police found 64 workers from Mexico forced to live and work in terrible conditions. Dozens of men and women were taken to work on farms, warehouses and factories, then in the end of the day brought back to living quarters, where they had to sleep on the floor.

We had an interview with two girls from Ukraine who got a job on a farm and faced unfair treatment. Managers regularly threatened to fire them, raised their voices at them, and even made them work without days off. Click the link above to read about how the story ended.