Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Monday that the Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program will be extended until November 30, 2020.

The decision follows the Government of Canada’s announcement to extend the Quarantine Act to the same date. The Act requires temporary foreign workers to undergo a mandatory 14-day isolation period upon arriving in Canada.

“Producers and processors across the country rely on experienced migrant workers to ensure a stable, nutritious and affordable food supply for Canadians. This pandemic has put additional strains on growers and processors, and our Government will continue to support them in these challenging times,” said Bibeau.

The $50-million Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program helps employers in the farming, fish harvesting, and food production and processing sectors with some of the incremental costs incurred to keep these workers safe and healthy during that 14-day period.

Under the Program, the federal government will provide a maximum support of $1,500 for each temporary foreign worker, to employers who are required to isolate workers under the Quarantine Act.

The funding is conditional on employers not being found in violation of the mandatory 14-day isolation protocols or any other public health order.