AJAs 2024 Finalists
P.E.I. migrant worker speaks out
| Slug/Label | |
|---|---|
| Date Aired or Published | April 30 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | The Guardian |
| Name of Program: | |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | Three Rivers, P.E.I. |
| List awards, grants: | |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | |
|
Short explanation of the story and how it developed: This three-part series tells the story of Lude Meng, a former fish plant worker on P.E.I. who spoke out about the sexual harassment she allegedly experienced at work. The story is also about the larger issues temporary foreign workers face, as they come to Canada on closed work permits and often have to stay silent about mistreatment because they rely on their employer for not only work, but other things like housing. I learned about Meng when in February 2024, a newcomer support group connected me with her. At first, she wasn’t ready to speak on the record, so I kept in touch with her through Facebook and gave her time. In April, she agreed to be interviewed, and I was really surprised she allowed me to use her name and photo for the story. As far as I know, this might have been the first time a temporary foreign worker on P.E.I. had gone public about something like this. After speaking with Meng, I contacted stakeholders involved, such as migrant worker advocates, the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission, RCMP, the provincial and federal governments, and of course the company she worked for. I made multiple attempts to get a response from the employer, including calling, emailing and texting the supervisor Meng accused. A month after the series was published, Meng told me the fish plant had hired third-party firm HR Atlantic to investigate. She later heard back from HR Atlantic that the supervisor faced some sort of disciplinary action. While she doesn’t know the details, she told me she was relieved to know something was done, and hopes her story will help protect other foreign workers in the future. The story also helped draw attention to delays in implementing P.E.I.’s Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, which back then had been passed two years earlier but not yet come into effect. It has finally come into force this month. |
|
|
Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: I worked on this story from February until it was published at the end of April 2024. It was one of my first long-term investigations, and it was challenging because I still had to work on daily stories and meet print deadlines. I often worked on this story after hours, messaging back and forth with Meng on Facebook, answering her questions and building trust. I believe that trust did eventually help her feel safe enough to let me use her name and photo in the story. There wasn’t a budget for this story since it was local and didn’t require travel. But I had a lot of support from my editors. After I finished writing the series, it went through several rounds of editing. Because we named the company where the alleged harassment happened, the story also had to be reviewed by a lawyer to make sure everything was legally sound. That process took about two weeks. I spent overall about more than two months working on the series while still doing my daily reporting, and the final two weeks were for working with my editors and a lawyer to prepare it for publication. I’m glad that even with limited time and money, the Guardian newsroom really made space for the story and supported me tremendously. |
|