KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government Tuesday confirmed that one of its nationals, who worked on a Canadian farmer, has died.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security said that the cause of death of Daniel Brown, who was found unresponsive in his room by a coworker, is yet to be revealed.
Reports had said that Brown, on October 7, returned home from work, prepared a meal, and went to bed.
Daniel Brown
The ministry said that on the following morning, the Jamaican Liaison Service’s Acting Chief Liaison Officer, Althea Riley, was contacted and informed that Brown was found unresponsive in his room by a coworker. The paramedics were immediately called, and Brown was pronounced dead upon their arrival.
According to the ministry, a senior member of its Family Services Unit has visited Brown’s next of kin on several occasions following his passing.
“The ministry has consistently kept the family updated on matters relating to Mr Brown’s passing and has shared any new information received by the coroner and other entities in Canada as soon as it is received,” the release stated.
Last week, during a town hall meeting in Canada, where he had been attending the Canada-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit, Prime Minister Andrew Holness disclosed that Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr would be heading to Canada this week to do a thorough check of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP) in which thousands of Jamaicans participate annually.
Last year, the Government commissioned a fact-finding team to look into the SAWP, which found that most Jamaican workers were satisfied with their working and living conditions.
In responding to a question about the program, Prime Minister Holness said, “If the laws, standards, principles, and policies of Canada or Jamaica are being contravened, “there is no argument. We want to know.”
“The challenge we face is that some participants were saying there isn’t a problem, and some were saying there is a problem. So the Government must take any complaint seriously and investigate it,” he noted.
It is for this reason, he said, that Charles Jr “is tasked to come back to Canada and do a thorough check.”
The Prime Minister said that if the program is found to be wanting, then “we have to work to fix it without prejudice to the people who benefit from the program, meaning the Jamaican farm workers and the Canadian farmers. So, I think that this is an opportunity to improve the program.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, said notwithstanding the fact-finding team’s report, the Government has a responsibility to investigate further if concerns continue to be raised.
She said the labor minister’s mission during his visit to Canada is to meet with employers and the relevant authorities to make further inquiries.
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