OTTAWA – Farmers and food processors can tap into a $50-million federal fund to support the cost of bringing in temporary foreign workers, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced April 13.

The fund will provide $1,500 for each temporary foreign worker as long as they receive the mandatory 14-day isolation period and follow public health orders, she said. Employers also have to provide workers with transportation and accommodations, as well as access to food and basic supplies.

Anyone who doesn’t comply with the rules will face significant penalties and a possible ban from the program, she said.

The government is still working out how the money will be distributed but wanted to send a positive signal to employers who need the foreign workers but were hesitating because of the extra cost, she said.

Beth Connery, chair of the Labour Committee of the Canadian Horticulture Council, said the announcement was “welcome news.” Her and other groups had been pressing the government to clarify conditions surrounding the foreign workers issue.

Bibeau said the money should cover the approximately 30,000 workers who come to Canada during April, May and June for planting. If additional funding is required, the government will find it. “Step by step, we are giving our farmers the support they need to continue their vital work.”

She said the isolation rules surrounding the foreign workers will be enforced by the federal employment department as well as provincial and local public health agencies. “We want to get on with the vital work of feeding Canadians while protecting the health of Canadians.”

The rules will apply to any foreign workers who entered Canada after the 14-day isolation rules were ordered under the Quarantine Act on March 25.

She said the government would encourage Canadians to fill open jobs in the agriculture sector.