A unique theatre production will invite audiences in Guelph, Ont., and Toronto to step onto the stage this fall and rewrite the stories of exploited and mistreated migrant workers in Canada. 

Harvest Justice is a product of the Collaborative Network to End Exploitation (CNEE) and administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto. Partnering with Mixed Company Theatre, the organizations will look to use Forum Theatre, a distinctive and interactive performance tool, to spark dialogue and solutions for the injustices temporary migrant workers face in Canada. 

“We are really excited about this project,” said Leah Watkiss, director of the ministry for social justice, peace and creation care for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and CNEE’s founder.

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“How it works is that a play will be presented with an unsatisfactory ending before we go back to key points where audience members participate as ‘spect-actors,’ getting creative about solutions. It’s a way of building community and resilience,” Watkiss explained. 

The play, tentatively set to debut in Guelph and Toronto this fall, draws from the real-life experiences of over 25 current and former Canadian migrant workers. A public script reading is slated for June 7, and if funding holds, a 2026 tour could bring the experience to parts of southern Ontario where migrant labour is a key factor in local economies.

Harvest Justice aims to go beyond just informing. By inviting audiences to participate in real stories, it gives the chance to rethink attitudes and push for change, from ending closed work permits to demanding accountability. 

As Watkiss sees it, the project is yet another step toward a Canada where migrant workers’ voices finally take centre stage. 

Watkiss shared that in 2023 alone, nearly 185,000 migrant workers entered Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to work in jobs such as harvesting produce and building homes. Many hailed from the Global South, expecting fair wages and decent conditions and often borrowing heavily to secure the opportunity. 

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Yet, Watkiss points to a system that often exploits such workers as delivering the opposite of what is initially promised. 

“Many are told they will be able to pay off their loans with their first paycheque,” she said. “But employers might  change the terms of payment and include unspoken deductions. They could have Canadian pension plans and Employment Insurance benefits deducted from their cheques even though they can’t qualify for a pension or EI because they’re not Canadian.”

Health and safety risks in migrant workers' accommodations often compound the problems, with CNEE’s founder saying she’s spoken to workers who have sprayed pesticides without protective gear or are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor before waking to bed bug and rat bites.

The closed work permit system, which ties workers to a sole employer, is a culprit of the inadequacies CNEE continues to combat. 

“If conditions are not what was promised, many times they cannot leave. They either swallow it or file a complaint, a slow process with a high bar to prove abuse, which can leave them in limbo,” Watkiss said. 

CNEE was founded in 2014 and has long tackled such awareness gaps between the reality of migrant workers and the public's knowledge with creative projects. These have included projects such as public art installations, a podcast series, animated videos and the hands-on Migrant Worker Exercise, where participants could feel first hand some of the conditions workers often deal with. 

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Harvest Justice is the latest evolution, with Watkiss hoping to amplify and bridge the understanding between such workers and Canadians who don’t see what they endure. 

CNEE is currently running foreign theatre workshops, in both English and Spanish, with migrant workers, with four workshops expected to take over the course of the month before a script is finalized.