“You earn less and you work more”: a political economy of temporary foreign workers in Prince Edward Island

Temporary foreign workers have become commonplace in agriculture and seafood processing operations in Prince Edward Island (PEI). Emphasizing the perspective of the local in helping to understand the global, this thesis uses historical, political economy and ethnographic lenses to investigate why the agriculture and seafood processing industries in PEI require temporary foreign workers, and to understand the experience of temporary foreign workers in PEI. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, including semi-structured interviews with 11 participants, secondary data and personal reflection, I argue that the modernization of PEI’s economy has led to growing labour shortages in agriculture and seafood processing. These labour shortages have allowed for the entry of temporary foreign workers to PEI. The findings suggest that temporary foreign workers create more surplus-value for employers because of their need to be reliable, flexible and compliant. Temporary foreign workers shared that they experience differential treatment than their Canadian co-workers, including in their pay and the work they do. This research makes an important contribution to the field of island studies and its understanding of migrant workers.