Bibeau Says Rules Are In Place For Temporary Foreign Workers Arriving In Canada

In the last few weeks we've started to see Temporary Foreign Workers arriving in preparation for work in greenhouses and on the farm.

 

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau says many farmers opted to bring workers in earlier this year, so they could do their 14 day isolation before the date when they want them to start working.

 

"What we have added in terms of sanitary measures is actually the same as any other travellers. They have to do this pre-boarding test before they leave their country, and show in the negative results obviously. Then when they arrive in the airport in Canada they have to go through a second test. And if they can drive directly, or you know take a private transportation to the farm or to the place where they are supposed to do their 14-day isolation, they can proceed directly. They don't have to stay in a hotel."

 

The majority of temporary foreign workers in Canada are employed in the Agriculture sector and come from a variety of countries including Mexico, Jamaica and Guatemala.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.