The seven stable workers who were arrested at the Hastings Racecourse by the Canada Border Service Agency last month have all returned to their home countries, according to a man who advocated on their behalf.
Byron Cruz spoke at a rally outside the PNE Monday, telling the crowd that the workers were sent home over the last 10 days and given exclusion orders barring them from returning to Canada for a minimum of five years.
“We want the federal government and provincial government to coordinate the re-entry of those workers who have been deported,” he said.
At Immigration and Refugee Board admissibility hearings, the board was told the employees were working in Canada illegally with false documents.
The province has confirmed that an employee from the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch is under investigation.
At the IRB hearings, it came to light that investigation is in relation to the registration cards of some of the migrant workers.
All staff at Hastings Racecourse are required to be licensed by the GPEB.
“If the government is talking about doing an investigation of the gaming commission, the workers should be here because they have the information about this investigation,” said Cruz as he called for the workers to be given legal work permits and allowed to return to Canada.
About 25 people attended the rally in support of the deported workers, making speeches and chatting with some fairgoers who were curious about the issue.
