Celebrating Community at the Festival of Guest Nations

The Festival of Guest Nations 2025, held annually for over 20 years by the Migrant Workers Community Program, took place this year on September 14th at the Seacliff Park Amphitheatre in Leamington, Ontario. The festival is a celebration dedicated to thanking migrant workers for their hard work and contributions to Canada, offering them an opportunity to enjoy music, cultural performances, and a sense of community while away from home.

As a proud sponsor of the event, People Corporation continues to demonstrate its commitment to foreign workers through the Foreign Workers Canada Health Plan.

Rob Carducci, partner at People Corporation, shared:

“It’s been about five years now that we’ve been providing health insurance to migrant workers across Canada. I’m happy to report that as of September, we now cover just over 11,000 migrant workers from countries all over the world.”

This support ensures that workers and their families have access to essential health benefits, providing peace of mind while they contribute so much to Canadian communities.

Honoring Excellence: Martin Varela’s Ohtli Award

One of the festival’s most memorable moments was recognizing Mr. Martin Varela, one our plan ambassadors, who received the Ohtli Award from the Ambassador of Mexico. This prestigious honour acknowledges Martin’s dedication to empowering the Mexican and migrant worker community in Canada.

Celebrating the Community

This festival is more than just music and cultural performances.

As one organizer, Vianny Tamara, noted:

“We try to put all our effort to make sure people get out of the routine, enjoy the music of different cultures…we want to make sure they feel welcomed and enjoy this important event.”

For the organizers, changing the lives of these workers and seeing their smiles means everything.

Many migrant workers shared similar sentiments, emphasizing the personal impact of being provided the opportunity to work in Canada.

“To come to work here…is an effort to move forward, so that the family has good health, more than anything,” said Claudio Sarate Jimenez.

The Festival of Guest Nations in Leamington highlighted the incredible contributions of migrant workers while emphasizing the importance of community and support. Through event sponsorship and the Foreign Workers Canada Health Plan, People Corporation continues to empower and protect workers across Canada.