OECS Commission expands participation in Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme
Channel: Saint Lucia Government
Date: 2021-05-18

The OECS Commission, through its Eastern Caribbean Liaison Service, has defied all odds to continue expanding participation of OECS nationals in the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme – with over 1000 OECS workers in 2020 contributing approximately EC$37 Million dollars in remittances. The first charter flight, scheduled to depart Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on April 9, was delayed due to the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano and the subsequent implementation of emergency security measures. Despite these difficulties, the OECS Commission has since mobilized three charter flights to move 318 OECS nationals to Canada – including 152 workers from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, many of whom are from communities in the red or orange zones and have been staying in shelters since the volcanic eruption.