More than 2,300 people interested in going to work in Quebec fields

MONTREAL -- Encouraged by the Legault government’s financial incentive, more than 2,300 people have so far applied to help farmers in the fields.

Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) president Marcel Groleau said Tuesday that it was a “very nice response”, adding that more than 72,000 have visited the site to check out application details.

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He hopes that this will encourage agricultural businesses to continue to clarify their needs.

Last Friday, Quebec said it wanted to attract some 8,500 Quebecers to fill the labour shortage in the fields with a $100 bonus per week.

Investissement de 45 M$ pour attirer les travailleurs québécois dans les champs : un partenariat qui arrive à point https://t.co/yovk2SX5vc #NourrirLeQuebec #PolQc #AssNat pic.twitter.com/YuGW4gTBmj

— UPA (@upaqc) April 17, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic means that many agricultural producers will not be able to rely on temporary foreign workers from Latin America to work in the fields.

More than 10,000 seasonal foreign workers are generally expected and only 2,000 have arrived, said Groleau.

 

COVID-19 CASES IN QUEBEC
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2020.

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