A new report from the United Nations has likened Canada’s overseas farm work program to contemporary slavery.

The report comes amidst investigations by Jamaica into recent claims of victimization by some Jamaican workers who had staged a one-day strike on a farm in Canada.

Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Junior has noted that he will be visiting several farms in North America to get a first-hand account of the living and working conditions.

Meantime, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Tomoya Obokata said workers are being exploited on several Canadian farms.

Speaking in an interview with CBC News, Mr Obokata said workers are dealing with excessive working hours, among other things.

He noted that he visited farms in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and met with workers, and civil society groups providing support to these workers and trade unions.

Mr. Obokata said many of the workers do not know what their rights are.

He added that federal laws are not being effectively enforced and inspections are often pre-announced leading them to be ineffective.