The More than a Migrant Worker program attended the Farms of Norfolk Football Association tournament in 2023 where 12 teams of seasonal workers from local farms competed against each other. We then interviewed some of the players about the games and their work in Canada.
My name is Gabriel, I am from Yucatán, Mexico. I have been coming here for 11 years to Canada, five years here at this farm. On the farm I pick cilantro and dill and I package onions.
I came to Canada to get ahead and give my daughters a better life. I have three daughters-well actually four daughters. The first is 15, the other is seven, the next is barely two and the fourth is on the way. September 25thshe will be born! This year I am not able to go home until December. At first it seems sad that I won’t be there for her birth but at the same time I am happy because I know she is going to have what she needs; she is going to have all her needs covered.
I play on the soccer team here at the farm. Soccer is good because it is a good distraction and good for everyone to de-stress. Otherwise if it is all just work it can be stressful and boring. I like soccer. It is an opportunity to play, relax and have some fun.
When I am in Mexico, I do not work. It is hard to find work because I am in Mexico only four months and then I am back here. Because I am only home a short time, I spend it with my family and also do a bit of farming; I do corn, beans and zucchini.