Pregnant Farm Workers Are Rarely Entitled to Preventive Withdrawal
There is one issue: to qualify for the program, women must be recognized as workers according to the Act respecting occupational health and safety. Although this condition poses no issue to most Quebec women, it’s a real barrier for those in agriculture. Countless women working in farms registered as sole proprietorships or partnerships do not benefit from employee status under the Act. The same applies to those who have no formal employment contract or official status within a family farm.
What protective measures are these women entitled to? Not a single one. To make matters worse, they cannot opt into the CNESST program. Whether or not a worker is eligible depends on her status—there is no middle ground. She is either entitled to coverage or left to her own devices.
We Can Do Better
The agricultural sector has a set of unique features and operates like no other industry. Should we not focus on developing programs tailored to its reality? This would help ensure protection for moms-to-be working on farms.