Economist Richard Gilbert Challenges Canada to Confront Modern Slavery
In March 2025, the Pacific Canada Heritage Centre –Museum of Migration Society (PCHC-MoM) invited economist and journalist Richard Gilbert to speak on two deeply rooted yet often overlooked topics: the history of slavery in Canada and Canada’s current temporary migrant worker programs. The event commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racism and the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). What followed was a thoughtful, nuanced discussion that blended Gilbert’s personal family migration story with his decades-long commitment to research and advocacy.
Gilbert, born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1964, is a second-generation Canadian. His father, Peter John Valentine Gilbert, was born in London, England, and his mother, Rosina Christiana “Chris” Gilbert, was born in Guaico, Trinidad. Their love story began in post-war England, where Chris worked as a nurse and Peter studied law at King’s College. After marrying in 1954 and facing employment difficulties in London, Peter looked abroad and eventually found work with the Saskatchewan Government Insurance Office in Regina. In 1960, he moved to Canada, and once established, he sent for Chris and their children. The family continued to grow, and by 1974, they had relocated to Vancouver, where both parents advanced in their respective professions—Peter in civil litigation and Chris as Head Nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital.
Gilbert’s mixed cultural background and personal history of migration have deeply shaped his academic and professional path. He draws connections between historical and present-day systems of labour, exposing how colonial legacies manifest in modern policy. When asked how indentured servitude has influenced Canada’s current immigration framework, he explained that Canada’s labour systems were originally built on legal structures that allowed for the enslavement of Indigenous and African peoples. As these systems evolved, they transitioned to forms of indentured labour, particularly targeting European immigrants who worked under contract for years to repay their passage.
In the mid-20th century, this framework extended to Caribbean domestic and agricultural workers, laying the groundwork for today’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the lesser-known International Mobility Program (IMP). Gilbert emphasized that the UN defines indentured labour to include migrant workers brought to Canada for fixed periods under these programs, effectively categorizing them as modern slavery. He stressed that although TFWP often dominates public discourse, the IMP is significantly larger and yet rarely discussed, even in policy circles.
Gilbert's research has attempted to correct this oversight. Between 2016 and 2022, he authored five major policy papers for the Labourers International Union of North America (LiUNA), investigating the political economy of these programs. His most recent work, “The Political Economy of the TFWP and the IMP in Canada: Modern Slavery, Construction Cycles and National Output (2000–2020),” delves into how these programs impact key sectors like construction, where migrant workers are often invisible yet essential.
When asked how racial discrimination informs the current treatment of migrant workers, Gilbert noted that historical research must go beyond documenting the past. It must interrogate how systemic racism continues to operate in contemporary institutions, whether in health care, education, criminal justice, or immigration policy. These systems, he argues, are designed to extract unpaid or underpaid labour from racialized communities. The solution, he believes, lies in grassroots organizing, building democratic institutions, and committing to long-term collective resistance against racial capitalism.
In recognition of his groundbreaking work, Gilbert was recently awarded the 2025 Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research by the Broadbent Institute. The award honours his research on modern slavery in Canada’s construction industry and affirms the vital role his work plays in shaping more equitable policy. For Gilbert, the recognition serves not as a conclusion but as a springboard for deeper inquiry. Engaging with a diverse community of scholars and organizers at the 2025 Progress Summit, he expressed optimism about forging new research pathways grounded in international solidarity and labour justice.
Through the lens of his own family’s migration journey and his persistent examination of Canada’s labour policies, Richard Gilbert continues to challenge Canadians to confront the uncomfortable truth: that modern slavery exists not only in distant pasts or foreign lands, but in the everyday workings of our economy. His work is a call to action, one that insists on dignity, transparency, and justice for all workers.