Skip links

Migrant Rights Network

News

Care Worker Program Launched Quietly – But Caps and Lack of Information Will Push Many Into Crisis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2025

Migrant groups create new web-page to protect careworkers from immigration scams

Toronto & Vancouver – After months of delay, the federal government has quietly updated Immigration Canada’s website indicating that the long-promised Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots will finally open on March 31, 2025. But with no details on specific eligibility or application procedures, care workers are panicking, and predatory immigration consultants are taking advantage. Caregiver groups are calling on the federal government to immediately release all application details, ensure the program has no caps on applications, and to implement a regularization program immediately for all those who have lost status because of government delays and unfair requirements. Caregiver groups have also launched an online resource to ensure workers get accurate information and avoid exploitation.

“The only reason this program is opening is because care workers fought for it for decades,” said Jhoey Dulaca, a former care worker and organizer with Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “But after so many years of waiting, workers can’t afford another failed program. There must be no cap on applications so that every care worker in Canada can apply and the program details must be immediately released. Anything less will push thousands into crisis.”

In past programs, the government set an arbitrary 5,500 application cap which was filled within hours, leaving thousands of care workers in limbo, unable to apply for PR even though they qualified under the program.  Many, like Teresa Andrade, who spoke at a press conference in December, became undocumented as a result and others had their children age out, permanently separating families. An admissions cap creates panic, forcing caregivers to seek out immigration consultants to apply on their behalf who scam them out of tens of thousands of dollars. Those who can’t apply within the cap remain on restrictive work permits and face continued exploitation before potentially losing their immigration status. 

Calls for Action:

  • No caps on applications – All care workers in Canada must be allowed to apply so they can access implied status, open work permits, and protect their children’s immigration status. An application cap is separate from an admissions cap which has been set at 7,500 per year. 
  • Release the requirements & application now – Workers need clear guidelines and full applications immediately to prevent exploitation.
  • Regularization now – Many care workers have been forced to become undocumented due to the failures of past programs. They must have access to permanent residency.
  • Clear the backlog – Grant permanent residency to the thousands of care workers and their families who have made applications and have been waiting on a decision for years. 

“This delay is already harming people,” said Julie Diesta, a former care worker and organizer with the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregiver Rights. “Our members are hungry, losing their homes, and facing mental health crises. We need full application details and a commitment to no admissions caps now and we need a permanent program with PR on landing for all, not pilot initiatives!”

Protecting Care Workers from Scams

Migrant Workers Alliance for Change has launched a webpage where caregivers can sign up to receive accurate updates and a step-by-step guide to prepare for applications. Media outlets are urged to share this to prevent fraud and misinformation.

Care workers can sign up for updates here: https://migrantworkersalliance.org/cw2025/ 

Media Contact
info@migrantrights.ca 

Background


Migrant Rights Network is Canada’s largest migrant-led coalition of 40 organizations in 8 provinces which are made up of tens of thousands of migrant members, including farmworkers, domestic workers, current and former international students, refugees and undocumented people. The Landed Status Now Working Group is composed of all the migrant care worker-led organizations in Canada, including Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization, Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregiver Rights, Migrante Canada and Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Marc Miller & Federal Decision Makers:

You can add over $28 billion to the economy, lift half a million people out of poverty and invest in equality and fairness for generations to come. How? By implementing a broad and comprehensive regularization program like you promised which would give permanent resident status to undocumented people in Canada. 

With Parliament set to rise at the beginning of June, there is no time to lose. 

Undocumented people are our neighbours, friends, co-workers and families. They are not not new arrivals. They have jobs, families, and roots in our communities. But they have been forced to live in the margins for decades, facing the lowest wages, excluded from essential services, fearing imprisonment and deportation. Women, queer and trans people, and the most vulnerable, have been the worst off. For far too long, successive governments have chosen racism and exclusion, refusing to address this crucial issue and do what the majority of people in Canada want – ensure fairness and equality and end discrimination and abuse. 

Until Prime Minister Trudeau made a mandate letter committment to regularization  in December 2021, a promise repeated by Minister Miller many times. Now is the time to boldly follow through, to live up to your promise of sunny ways.

We are the Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s largest migrant-led coalition – and our thousands of migrant and undocumented members urge you to implement a comprehensive regularization program. Our position is supported far beyond the immigrant and refugee sector. Hundreds of organizations have spoken up, writing individual letters in support of our priorities on regularization and permanent resident status for migrants. A small sampling of these include:

In addition,

  • The Toronto Star has written editorials in support of regularization;
  • The Mayors of Toronto and Montreal have written letters in support; and
  • Over 40,000 people have sent emails in support of equal rights and permanent resident status for all migrants, including undocumented people.

There is mass support for regularization because it just makes sense. A comprehensive regularization program will:

  • Build a historic legacy: There are between 200,000 – 500,000 undocumented people in Canada who, along with their children and children’s children, will become voting citizens and be able to participate in the democratic process.
  • Combat poverty and grow the economy: Undocumented people work in cash-based jobs or are underemployed. Regularized migrants will be able to work where they want, in jobs they are skilled for, and earn more income. A recent report on regularization in France showed that, when applied to Canada, regularization would increase economic activity by at least $28 billion each year – 1% of the GDP.
  • Fund public services while application costs will be cost-neutral: Most undocumented people pay taxes, but their employers, many of whom operate very profitable businesses, do not pay remittances. Regularizing 500,000 undocumented people will increase employer CPP and EI contributions by at least $5.6 billion, just in the first year. Meanwhile, the cost of application processing will be met with existing funding and application fees.
  • Increase worker rights: Bad employers of undocumented workers steal wages and threaten them with deportation to stop them from asserting their rights. This abuse results in the overall worsening of working conditions in the labour market for migrants and citizens alike. Regularization will give workers more labour mobility,  improving working conditions for everyone and ensuring that good employers have a level playing field.
  • Improve public health: Migrants do not access healthcare until it is absolutely necessary due to high fees. By the time they do, their health conditions are much worse, and the impact on the healthcare system is much higher. Regularization is good for the healthcare system and everyone’s health.
  • Counter racism, ensure women and queer rights: Undocumented people are mostly racialized, low-waged people, often women, queer and trans. Regularization will give them the power to defend themselves against systemic exploitation, from the workplace to intimate partnerships
  • Reflects best practices around the world: 24 of the 27 EU Member States implemented regularization programs, and some several times regularizing an estimated 5.5 to 6 million people. Ireland implemented a regularization program in 2022.  

Regularization is a bold investment in the future and only you can make it happen. Time is running out. We urge you to seize this historic opportunity.

Migrant Rights Network

https://migrantrights.ca/time-is-running-out-we-need-regularization-now/

Welcome the new Cabinet: Take Action for Status for All

On July 26, Prime Minister Trudeau made changes to Cabinet – the 39 Ministers who are responsible for making a decision about regularization and permanent resident status for undocumented people and all migrants. There’s a new Minister of Immigration, and 7 new Ministers who haven’t heard from us yet!  

Together, let’s make sure they know our demands before the Cabinet Retreat which takes place in Charlottetown, PEI in August and our massive day of action on September 17, 2023 across the country. Here’s what to do:  

(1)  Visit Cabinet Minister constituency offices – especially the 7 new ones
(2) Call the Cabinet Ministers and the new Minister of Immigration everyday
(3) Send emails, write letters and deliver petitions to Cabinet Ministers.

Over the next few weeks, we must push as hard as we can, get as loud as we can to make sure that Cabinet Ministers create a program to ensure permanent resident status for all undocumented people. But if they choose to delay, we won’t stop, let’s keep up the pressure over the summer and beyond to win. 

(1) Visit or Poster Cabinet Minister Constituency Offices

Step 1: Find the closest constituency office near you. Check the map below to see if you are near a Cabinet constituency office (or click here). If there is no Cabinet Minister near you, then find your local MP and their office [here]. We especially want to visit the 7 new Cabinet Ministers:

  • Arif Virani – Parkdale—High Park, Ontario
  • Soraya Martinez Ferrada – Hochelaga, Quebec
  • Gary Anandasangaree – Scarborough—Rouge Park, Ontario
  • Terry Beech – Burnaby North, BC
  • Ya’ara Saks – York Centre, Ontario
  • Jenna Sudds – Kanata—Carleton, Ontario
  • Rechie Valdez – Mississauga—Streetsville, Ontario

Step 2: Check when they are open. Use Google to see when they are open. Constituency offices are usually open to the public between 10am to 4pm, Monday – Thursday, but make sure to confirm. Pick a time that you can go and invite friends to come with you if you can. Let us know when you are going so we can encourage those nearby to join you, email us at info@migrantrights.ca. If you are only putting up posters – then you can go any time. 

Step 3: Print out these three things:

Step 4: Go to the Constituency Office. When you arrive, tell them you are a local resident and there to speak about regularization. Ask the staff to pass on the message to the Cabinet Minister that local residents and voters support an inclusive regularization program that grants permanent resident status to all undocumented people. Ask for the contact information of the person you spoke to, and tell them you will be calling to ask what the Minister said. If you don’t feel comfortable talking, you can also just give them the letter and the policy brief. Make sure to put up some posters outside. Watch a simple video tutorial [here]. If you are only putting up posters, then go anytime, incuding when they are open and put posters on the doorway and send us photos. 

Step 5: A few days later, call the office to ask if they passed on your message to the Minister.

Step 6: Email us and let us know what happened – info@migrantrights.ca

(2) Call the Cabinet Ministers 

Call as many of the Cabinet Ministers as you can. Two ways to call: 

Call Using Our Automated Caller: Enter your information here and click Make the Call. Our system will dial a Cabinet Minister. You can leave message for one Minister or stay on the line, and the system will move to the next Minister when you’re done. A phone script will appear on the next page. This will allow you to stay anonymous and let us track how many calls are being made.

Call Directly From Your Phone:  Click here for their phone numbers and a script. 

  • Start by calling the new Minister of Immigration Marc Miller – 613-995-6403 

(3) Send emails, write letters, and deliver petitions to Cabinet Ministers.

Every time you or a friend adds their name here: www.StatusForAll.ca; an email is automatically sent to all Cabinet Ministers. The more emails they receive, the more they know this is an issue they need to act on.

You can also gather paper petition signatures. Download them from here, print, and take them to your community events, when you go for religious service, or a picnic, or outside a local transit hub. You can do it on your own or with friends, simply take a clipboard and pen.

If you would like to send an email yourself, use the template email here, and get their contact email addresses here. Letters can be individual or organizational. Even if you’ve written an organizational letter, please send another one. 

Communiqué de presse: Annonce insuffisante du programme fédéral d’immigration

Le Migrant Rights Network demande un statut de résident permanent pour tous et toutes et la fin des déportations.

Canada, 20 janvier 2023 – Le Migrant Rights Network – la plus grande coalition dirigée par des migrant-e-s au Canada – réitère son appel en faveur d’un programme de régularisation non plafonné et inclusif qui garantisse le statut de résident permanent à l’ensemble des 500 000 personnes sans papiers et à leurs familles, en réponse à l’annonce d’aujourd’hui qui offre un chemin extrêmement difficile vers la résidence permanente à seulement 500 travailleurs et travailleuses sans papiers du secteur de la construction dans la région du Grand Toronto.  Le Migrant Rights Network manifestera en faveur de l’égalité et de l’équité pour tou-te-s à l’extérieur de la retraite du Cabinet, le lundi 23 janvier 2023, à midi, à Hamilton, en Ontario.

Byron Cruz, organisateur avec Sanctuary Health à Vancouver, déclare : “Cette annonce du gouvernement fédéral ne répond absolument pas aux demandes des communautés sans-papiers à travers le pays. Nous avons besoin de toute urgence d’un programme de régularisation de l’immigration à travers le pays, inclusif pour tou-te-s. Trop c’est trop, nous ne voulons pas que les migrant-e-s soient détenu-e-s ou meurent dans les prisons d’immigration.”

Le premier ministre Trudeau a promis un programme de régularisation le 16 décembre 2021. Sans ce programme, beaucoup continuent de souffrir. Un sans-papiers, dont le nom n’a pas encore été dévoilé, est mort en détention par les services d’immigration à Surrey, en Colombie-Britannique, le jour de Noël. Fritznel Richard est mort quelques jours plus tard au Québec alors qu’il traversait la frontière pour retourner aux États-Unis après avoir été incapable d’obtenir un permis de travail au Canada. 

Yonnel Destin, porte-parole sans-papiers pour le groupe montréalais Solidarité Sans Frontières, a ajouté : “Ce programme est totalement insuffisant. Les sans-papiers vivent partout au Canada, et travaillent dans toutes sortes d’industries. Pendant qu’ils s’amusent avec des programmes pilotes, nous vivons dans la peur de la détention et de la déportation. Où est le programme de régularisation complète qu’on nous a promis ? Nous n’avons pas besoin d’un autre programme complètement inadéquat qui ne reconnaît absolument pas que je suis égal à tous les autres dans ce pays.”

L’annonce d’aujourd’hui est la prolongation d’une politique lancée en janvier 2020 et qui a duré trois ans, au cours desquels seules 500 demandes ont été traitées en raison d’exigences restrictives. Seules les personnes ayant un lien de parenté avec un-e citoyen-ne canadien-ne ou un-e résident-e permanent-e sont autorisées à présenter une demande. Entre autres exigences, les demandeurs et demandeuses doivent également prouver qu’ils vivent au Canada depuis cinq ans et qu’ils ont occupé des emplois spécifiques dans le secteur de la construction pendant au moins 4 680 heures, ce qui nécessite la remise de documents par les propriétaires et les employeurs et les expose à un risque accru d’exploitation. 

Marco Luciano, directeur de Migrante Alberta, basé à Edmonton, a ajouté : “L’annonce d’aujourd’hui est décevante. Elle n’aborde pas le problème fondamental des sans-papiers. La régularisation au compte-gouttes n’est pas la solution. Nous demandons un programme de régularisation inclusif, sans plafond et pour tous les secteurs. Nous devons mettre fin à la déportation et à la détention inhumaines des migrant-e-s.”

Toutes les organisations dirigées par des migrant-e-s au Canada, ainsi que plus de 480 organisations de la société civile, ont conjointement demandé un statut d’immigration complet et permanent pour tou-te-s les migrant-e-s du pays, ainsi qu’un statut de résident permanent pour tou-te-s à leur arrivée dans le futur. 25 000 personnes ont envoyé des messages aux ministres au cours des derniers mois. 

Nina Gonzalez, organisatrice sans-papiers au Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants à Montréal, déclare. “C’est peut-être une bonne nouvelle pour les personnes sans papiers travaillant dans la construction dans la région du Grand Toronto qui peuvent se qualifier, mais cela donne à nouveau un sentiment d’exclusion à tou-te-s les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s de la construction qui travaillent dans le reste du Canada et aux autres migrant-e-s qui ne travaillent pas dans le secteur de la construction. Nous avons besoin d’un programme de régularisation inclusif et prévisible, basé sur les droits universels de la personne, appliqué à tout le Canada, indépendamment de la profession, de l’expérience professionnelle ou d’autres exigences injustes.”

“Chaque personne qui obtient un statut signifie qu’une personne de plus est incluse dans la famille des droits, donc l’annonce d’aujourd’hui signifie que potentiellement 500 personnes racisées, de la classe ouvrière, auront le pouvoir de se protéger et d’être avec leurs familles ; maintenant nous avons besoin d’un programme de régularisation pour les 499 500 migrant-e-s sans papiers et leurs familles et les 1,2 millions de migrant-e-s avec un statut temporaire qui sont exclu-e-s de l’égalité des droits”, a déclaré Syed Hussan, directeur exécutif de Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.

MISE EN CONTEXTE

  • Proposition de régularisation du Migrant Rights Network : https://migrantrights.ca/resources/la-regularisation-au-canada/
  • Une régularisation complète (un programme qui inclut l’ensemble des 500 000 personnes sans papiers, sans plafond ni exclusion) permettra de réparer un tort historique, d’améliorer les conditions de travail en donnant aux migrant-e-s le pouvoir de se protéger, de garantir la santé publique et d’ajouter au moins 1,1 milliard de dollars au trésor public grâce aux contributions des employeurs qui ne paient actuellement pas d’impôts.  
  • Bien que les statistiques n’aient pas été publiées, les organisations de migrant-e- ont toutes signalé une forte augmentation des détentions et des déportations en 2022. Au cours de l’exercice 2020-2021, le Canada a expulsé en moyenne 31 personnes par jour. Un migrant sans papiers est mort dans la prison d’immigration de Surrey le jour de Noël. 
  • 2022 est en passe de devenir l’année où le nombre de permis de travail et d’études temporaires a été le plus élevé, sans aucune augmentation de l’accès aux droits permanents pour les migrant-e-s à bas salaires. Plus de 853 000 permis de travail et d’études ont été délivrés entre janvier et septembre 2022.
  • Au moins 1,2 million de personnes vivent au Canada grâce à des permis temporaires de travail, d’études ou de demande d’asile délivrés chaque année au Canada. Les personnes occupant un emploi faiblement rémunéré, en particulier, n’ont pas accès à la résidence permanente et sont donc contraintes de quitter le pays ou d’y rester sans papiers. En conséquence, il y a plus de 500 000 personnes sans papiers dans le pays. 
  • Autrement dit, il y a au moins 1,7 million de migrant-e-s – 1 résident sur 23 au Canada – qui ne disposent pas de droits égaux.  
  • Les migrant-e-s sont exclu-e-s des services de santé et des services sociaux et ne peuvent pas retrouver leur famille. L’absence de statut de résident permanent rend difficile, voire impossible, pour les migrant-e-s de défendre leurs droits au travail ou d’accéder aux services, y compris ceux auxquels ils et elles peuvent être éligibles, en raison d’une crainte fondée de représailles, de licenciement, d’expulsion et de déportation. 
  • Les migrant-e-s – pour la plupart à bas salaires, des personnes racisées et issues de la classe ouvrière – sont considéré-e-s comme essentiel-le-s mais sont exclu-e-s des droits. Des milliers de migrant-e-s ont perdu leur vie et leurs moyens de subsistance avec la COVID-19 alors qu’ils et elles travaillaient dans des fermes, des centres de soins de longue durée, dans la construction, l’entretien et le travail de livraison. 

 

 

Communiqué de presse: Trudeau sommé d’agir rapidement pour mettre en œuvre des règles d’immigration équitables afin de garantir l’égalité des droits pour 1,7 million de personnes

Personne-contact pour les médias (AN/FR): Mary Foster, 514-222-0205, mary@migrantworkersalliance.org.  Veuillez nous contacter pour obtenir un enregistrement de la conférence.

Trudeau sommé d’agir rapidement pour mettre en œuvre des règles d’immigration équitables afin de garantir l’égalité des droits pour 1,7 million de personnes

Une coalition pancanadienne de migrant.e.s et de grands groupes de la société civile organisent des manifestations dans 12 villes le 18 septembre

Ottawa, 14 septembre 2022 — Pour la première fois en un demi-siècle, le Canada va de l’avant avec un programme de régularisation pour les migrants sans papiers. Une coalition pancanadienne de migrants s’est unie aux plus grandes organisations canadiennes de défense des droits humains, climatiques, en matière de santé et de travail pour exhorter le gouvernement à garantir la résidence permanente aux 1,7 million de migrants à statut précaire, y compris la régularisation de tous les 500 000 sans-papiers. Des actions en faveur de la régularisation complète auront lieu dans 12 villes du pays le dimanche 18 septembre 2022 (voir ci-dessous la liste de toutes les actions). Plus de 480 organisations de la société civile soutiennent déjà cet appel à la justice en matière d’immigration. 

Lors d’une conférence de presse en ligne aujourd’hui, Caroline Michael, travailleuse de la santé sans papiers, réfugiée nigériane à Toronto et membre de Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, a expliqué: « Les sans-papiers comme moi, nous sommes sous-payé.e.s et traité.e.s injustement par nos employeurs et nous n’osons pas les dénoncer aux autorités compétentes de peur d’être pris.e.s par la police. Nous tous et toutes, les migrant.e.s, devrions avoir le droit de vivre une vie humaine et ne pas être traité.e.s comme des animaux, ce qui signifie un statut de résident permanent pour tous et toutes, sans exception, sans exclusion, ni conditions. Le prochain Parlement doit faire de nos revendications sa priorité numéro un.»

Lauren Ravon, directrice d’Oxfam Canada, souligne que: «Un programme de régularisation qui offre un statut à tous et toutes au Canada représente un gain triple, il fait progresser la justice en matière de genre, réduit les inégalités et présente de nombreux avantages pour l’économie. Le Canada bénéficie tellement de la contribution des migrant.e.s et des travailleurs et travailleuses sans papiers. Le temps est venu de donner à des centaines de milliers de personnes au Canada l’accès aux droits et aux services pour vivre dans la dignité.»

Caroline Brouillette, directrice des politiques nationales au Réseau Action Climat – la plus grande coalition climatique au Canada – ajoute, «Alors que la crise climatique force de plus en plus de personnes à quitter leur pays, garantir des droits égaux pour les migrant.e.s est fondamental pour la justice climatique. Transformer notre système d’exploitation et d’inégalité en un système qui garantit la dignité et la sécurité pour tous et toutes est une étape clé pour répondre à la dette climatique du Canada, et nous exhortons le gouvernement fédéral à saisir cette opportunité.»

Danilo De Leon un sans-papier anciennement travailleur étranger temporaire, et président de Migrante Canada, d’Edmonton, dit: « Nous sommes venu.e.s ici pour travailler parce que vous avez besoin de travailleurs et de travailleuses. Nous sommes plus que des travailleurs qui alimentent votre économie. Nous sommes des êtres humains qui ont le droit de vivre au Canada dans la dignité et nous avons besoin d’un programme de régularisation qui ne fasse pas de discrimination.»

Le Migrant Rights Network estime que la régularisation de 500 000 travailleurs et travailleuses sans papiers augmentera les cotisations des employeurs d’au moins 1,1 milliard de dollars par an. 

De nombreuses personnes sans papiers n’ont pas les moyens de se payer des soins de santé coûteux, ce qui les rend plus malades et a un impact sur la santé publique, explique Pénélope Boudreault, directrice des opérations nationales de Médecins du Monde. « L’équipe de la Clinique médicale de Médecins du Monde peut en témoigner. Un programme de régularisation sûr, complet et inclusif est un outil essentiel afin de garantir les droits fondamentaux et la santé des personnes migrantes à statut précaire tout en favorisant le bien-être de l’ensemble de la société ».

Il y a au moins 500 000 personnes sans papiers au Canada. La grande majorité d’entre elles sont racisées. Elles sont entrées au pays avec des permis de travail et d’études temporaires ou en tant que demandeurs d’asile, mais n’ont pas pu obtenir la résidence permanente en raison des règles d’immigration canadiennes, qui favorisent les personnes ayant des salaires élevés. La plupart des autres sont refoulées. 

Nina Gonzalez, coordinatrice de la campagne pour la régularisation du Centre de travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants, membre active du comité Femmes du CTI et migrante sans papiers, explique: « Notre système d’immigration entraîne systématiquement des personnes sans statut d’immigration, soit en conséquence du rejet de la demande d’asile ou à cause de l’expiration du permis de travail, pour lequel l’employeur a refusé la prolongation. Perte d’un statut, c’est un problème administratif imposé par le système, ce n’est pas un acte criminel. »

Sans statut d’immigration complet, de nombreux migrants et de nombreuses migrantes sont confronté.e.s à l’exploitation, même s’ils et elles sont considéré.e.s comme essentiel.le.s. Cela inclut les travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles qui qualifient leur travail d’« esclavage systématique». Laurence Guénette,coordinatrice de La Ligue des droits et libertés s’est joint à l’appel pour des droits égaux pour tous et toutes aujourd’hui, rappelant au Premier ministre Trudeau que: « Tous les droits humains sont universels : cette universalité signifie que tous les êtres humains jouissent des mêmes droits fondamentaux indépendamment de leur statut. Le gouvernement canadien doit mettre en place un programme de régularisation octroyant un statut complet et permanent, pour toutes les personnes ayant un statut migratoire précaire au Québec et au Canada. Un programme de régularisation universel, qui ne laisse personne derrière. »

Syed Hussan du Secrétariat du Migrant Rights Network a ajouté: «Le Premier ministre Trudeau a un choix à faire dès maintenant : soit assurer enfin une égalité de droits historique pour 1,7 million de personnes qui ont été opprimées et exploitées par de mauvais et mauvaises patrons, institutions et propriétaires à cause des règles d’immigration canadiennes en garantissant le statut de résident permanent à tous et toutes, soit continuer à faire des changements partiels et temporaires qui poursuivent l’exploitation pour la plupart. Les migrant.e.s et nos allié.e.s sont uni.e.s dans leurs attentes que le Premier ministre Trudeau fasse ce qu’il sait être juste ».

Actions à travers le Canada et contacts pour les médias pour dimanche le 18 septembre 2022

MONTRÉAL, QC : Rassemblement et marche – Un Statut pour tous et toutes – on ne laisse personne pour compte / #StatusForAll: No One Left Behind
18 septembre à 14h00 à la Place du Canada (coin René-Lévesque et Peel, métro Bonaventure)
Contact : Hady Anne (En/Fr), 514 358 8836, Solidarité Sans Frontières

 VANCOUVER, CB : Rassemblement – Droits, régularisation, #StatusForAll
18 septembre à 14h30, parc Grandview. 1657 rue Charles, Vancouver
Contact : Byron Cruz, Sanctuary Health, (604) 315-7725

EDMONTON, AB : Droits, régularisation, Statut pour tous et toutes!
18 septembre à 12h00, Sir Winston Churchill Square. 10404 104 Ave NW.
Contact : Clarizze Truscott, 780-998-2885, Migrante Alberta

OTTAWA, ON : Marche pour la régularisation des personnes migrantes – Statut pour tous et toutes!
18 septembre à 14h00, parc de la Confédération, rue Elgin et avenue Laurier Ouest, Ottawa
Contact : Aimee Beboso, 613-255-1921, Migrante Ottawa

SUDBURY, ON : Sudbury et la région : Statut pour TOUS ET TOUTES – Rassemblement communautaire
18 septembre à 13h30, Flour Mills Community Farm. 736 avenue Bruce
Contact : Tt Scott, communications@sudburyworkerscentre.ca, Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Center

CHARLOTTETOWN, IPE : Statut pour tous et toutes : réimaginer l’Île du Prince-Édouard
18 septembre à 13h00, Victoria Park Pavilion, 36 Victoria Park Driveway
Contact : Ryan MacRae, ryan@cooperinstitute.ca, Cooper Institute 

MIRAMICHI, NB : Droits, régularisation, Statut pour tous et toutes
18 septembre à 14h00, Queen Elizabeth Park Town Square. 141 rue Henry
Contact : Sonia Aviles, 289-990-1349, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change

FREDERICTON, NB : Journée d’action à Frédéricton pour un statut pour tous et toutes -Ouverture du centre d’organisation Madhu
18 septembre à 13h00, 577 Hillcrest Drive
Contact : Kalum Ng,  info@madhucentre.ca, Madhu Centre

GUELPH, ON : Rassemblement public : Immigration : Qui en bénéficie ? Qui souffre ?
18 septembre à 15h00, 10C. 42 Carden St., 3e étage,  Activity Room.
Contact : Susan Rosenthal, Guelph Justice for Workers, guelph@Justice4workers.org

CLARKSBURG, ON : Droits, régularisation, Statut pour tous et toutes
18 septembre à 10h00, Clark Street et Main Street
Contact : Amaris Terner, 416-417-3520

ST JOHN’S, TN: Pique-nique pour un Statut pour tous et toutes
18 septembre à 13h00 au Parc Bannerman
Contact : Adi Khaitan, 709-693-6032

Mise en contexte

  • Il y a au moins 1,2 million de personnes au Canada avec des permis temporaires de travail, d’étude ou de demandeur d’asile. La plupart des personnes migrantes avec des emplois à bas salaire n’ont pas accès à la résidence permanente, et elles sont donc forcées éventuellement de quitter le Canada ou de rester sans papiers dans le pays. Les travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles migrants ont récemment confirmé que ces programmes de migration temporaires sont un « esclavage systématique».
  • Plusieurs ne peuvent pas revenir dans leur pays d’origine à cause de la guerre, de la discrimination, du manque d’opportunités économiques et/ou à cause des relations construites au Canada. En ce moment, il y a plus de 500 000 personnes sans papiers à travers le pays.
  • Il y a donc au moins 1,7 million de personnes migrantes – un.e résident.e du Canada sur 23 – qui n’ont pas des droits égaux.
  • Les personnes migrantes sont exclues des soins de santé et des services sociaux, et elles ne peuvent pas se réunir avec leurs familles. L’absence d’un statut de résident.e permanent.e rend difficile, et souvent impossible, la défense de leurs droits au travail ou l’accès aux services, incluant ceux pour lesquels elles sont éligibles, à cause d’une peur justifiée de représailles, de résiliation, d’éviction et de déportation.
  • Les personnes migrantes – qui sont souvent des personnes de classe ouvrière, racisées et avec des emplois à faible salaire – sont qualifiées d’essentielles, mais sont exclues des droits. Des milliers de personnes migrantes ont perdu leurs moyens de subsistance et leur vie avec la COVID-19, en travaillant sur des fermes, des centres pour des soins de longue durée, la construction, l’entretien ménager et les services de livraison. 
  • La régularisation complète (un programme qui inclut toutes les 500 000 personnes sans papiers) va redresser un tort historique, améliorer les conditions de travail en donnant aux personnes migrantes le droit de se protéger elles-mêmes, garantir la santé publique et ajouter au moins 1,1 milliard de dollars dans les coffres publics à travers les contributions par des employeurs qui ne paient pas d’impôt actuellement. 
  • Le Canada a créé le programme « Anges gardiens » pour certain.e.s demandeurs d’asiles et des travailleurs et travailleuses sans statut dans le domaine de la santé, qui a expiré en août 2020. Le Programme de la résidence temporaire à la résidence permanente a été créé en mai 2021 et a expiré en novembre. Ces programmes excluaient la vaste majorité des personnes migrantes racisées et à bas salaire. Aucun changement permanent n’a été apporté afin d’assurer la justice pour les personnes migrantes.
  • Près de 10 000 personnes ont signé une pétition en soutien à ces revendications : www.StatusforAll.ca 

 

Organizational Actions for Status for All!

Labour, environmental and other civil society organizations have a crucial role to play right now as we work to fundamentally transform the immigration system and correct a historic wrong. If you are part of an organization, there’s a lot you can do, including:

  1. Endorse the September 18 Day of Action for Rights, Regularization and Status for All! Fill out this form to let us know. 

  2. Writing a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Immigration Minister Sean Fraser urging them to (1) Regularize all undocumented people in the country without exception and (2) Ensure that all low-wage migrants in Canada have immediate access to permanent residency. See template letters for Environmental organizations, Labour organizations and all other civil society organizations. See letters already written.

  3. Share our petition – www.StatusforAll.ca – on your email lists and promote widely. See sample text you can use in your emails. Please reach out to info@migrantrights.ca if you need support.

  4. Join our regular bi-weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 7pm EST to get the latest updates.

  5. Encourage your members to join our upcoming actions & events.

Disappointment, Chaos & Exploitation Hits Migrant Communities With Exclusionary, Short-Term Immigration Announcement

Migrants, including undocumented people, call for transformation of immigration system to ensure rights, dignity and permanent resident status for all

Download Exclusion, Disappointment, Chaos & Exploitations: Canada’s New Short-Term Immigration Pathway: HERE

Canada – Survey results released today reveal that 45.4% of migrant workers and 34.5% of international graduates are excluded from the new short-term immigration program scheduled to be launched this Thursday. Out of 3,000 survey responses, an additional 48.27% of international graduates and 45.4% of migrant workers do not have the language test results required to apply for this first-come, first-served program. In total, 1.18 million undocumented residents, refugees, students and migrants in Quebec are not allowed to apply. The Migrant Rights Network, Canada’s largest migrant-led coalition, is releasing an analysis of the survey results today, entitled “Exclusion, Disappointment, Chaos & Exploitation: Canada’s New Short-Term Immigration Pathway”, and calling for full and permanent immigration status for all. 

“Prime Minister Trudeau has the opportunity of a lifetime to change the course of Canada’s economy while ensuring equal rights for all,” says Syed Hussan of the Migrant Rights Network secretariat. “We don’t need small, one-off, exclusionary pilot programs, we need an overhaul of the immigration system so that every resident in the country has the same immigration status and therefore the same access to labour rights, healthcare, and other essential services. These rights are a matter of life and death.” The Migrant Rights Network is aware of at least half a dozen migrant farmworkers that have died this year, as well half a dozen International Students that have died by suicide due to financial and immigration pressures. This new program excludes migrants like these.

The temporary public policy was announced on April 14th and excludes most migrants, many of whom are in essential jobs or caring for their communities, and are denied universal healthcare, labour rights and emergency support because they do not have permanent residency. 

“During this pandemic, millions of people without status have risked their lives to serve you and keep the Canadian economy rolling. Why does the government not put in place a regularization program for everyone?,” says Samira, living without status with her mother in Montreal for eight years. “It’s revolting how all these new laws ignore us, like we didn’t exist. We are here and we will continue to struggle.”

Applications through the program are capped at 90,000 spots but there are more than 461,470 migrants who may be eligible to apply. To apply, they must be employed, be currently in Canada, have a valid English test result, and have all their documents at the time of application. This costs thousands of dollars. 

English or French language requirements exclude many, including the majority of Spanish speaking migrant farm workers who have been so hard-hit by COVID-19. Gary, a chicken catcher in Ontario who has been working in Canada for 8 years, says, “Many of us have taught ourselves English to get by while working in Canada but cannot write or read it. I am excluded from the government’s PR program because I cannot pass the English test. That is not fair – we have built lives here, and we have missed out on our lives with our families. We cannot stand up for our rights because the employers always threaten us saying they won’t renew our contracts or will deport us. This is why we need permanent residency with no requirements like English exams, to be able to protect ourselves and defend our rights. We demand status for all.”

Within hours of the program’s announcement on April 14th, the websites of the English testing centres crashed. Few spots are available now, and some migrants, particularly farmworkers and domestic workers, are unable to leave farms or employer-provided housing, to go to take a test. Others are not allowed time off to study, or to take the test. Others are not allowed time off to study or to take the test. Testing centres are only available in major cities, and travel from rural communities during COVID-19 is either dangerous or simply impossible because of lockdown measures. 

25.4% of the survey respondents in the Essential Workers stream did not meet either the 12 months of work required in the previous 36 months or did have an approved NOC Code despite working in essential jobs. This is because workers earned this work experience while between work permits and cannot count it. In addition, 13.7% of survey respondents in this stream report not having a valid work authorization – this is largely temporary foreign workers who lost jobs during COVID-19 and are not legally allowed to work elsewhere because of their employer-restricted work permits. 

“I struggled to find a new employer to sponsor me so I could get the last 3 months of work I needed to meet the 24 month work requirement under the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and be able to apply for PR. Just last week, the cap in that program was reached. Another door has been closed for me and care workers like me. And I can’t qualify for this new program without a job,” says Cherrian Snagg, a migrant care worker, was fired when she got sick during COVID, and lost her housing, healthcare, income, and legal right to work because she is on an employer-restricted permit. “Without permanent residency status, you are pushed around – by employers and by the government. This is discrimination and exploitation. I join with my fellow migrants to demand status for all now.”

13.6% of survey respondents in the International Graduate stream and 6.3% of survey respondents in the Essential Workers stream do not currently have a job, which is a requirement for the program. This has made workers scramble to take any job, at any wage to qualify for this program. Those on employer-restricted permits who were laid off or left bad employers are being forced to return to them so they can qualify. Migrants on any kind of leave from their current job, paid or unpaid, must return to work to qualify, including anyone on caregiver leave or taking unpaid sick time to quarantine for COVID-19. 

The report also details migrants facing chaos and exploitation as a result of high fees, being stuck abroad and not being able to travel, and difficulty in getting documents in time. 

In the report, the Migrant Rights Network is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “ensure permanent resident status for all migrant and undocumented people in the country, and ensure that all working class migrants that arrive in the future do so with permanent resident status. The current program must be expanded to include everyone without permanent status; all caps and the 6-month window must be removed; residents of Quebec must be allowed to apply; and requirements for an English language test, educational credentials, current employment, and valid immigration status must be removed. Any other inadmissibility requirements must also be removed, and the application fees waived for low-wage workers.” Over 450 organizations and tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the same: www.StatusforAll.ca 

Migrant Rights Network members will be organizing actions on May 9th – Mothers Day – to continue the call for Status for All in Montreal (2pm, Riding Office of Justin Trudeau 1100 Crémazie East), Vancouver (11am, MP Harjit Sajjan’s constituency office, 6406 Victoria Drive). More cities will be announced. 

###

Media Contact:
Syed Hussan
416-453-3632
hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org 

 

Federal Budget Fails to Deliver Immigration Rights, Continues Focus on Failed Temporary Programs

Full and Permanent Immigration Status for All Residents Is Essential to Building an Equal Society Post COVID19

Canada, April 20, 2021 – The 2021 federal budget continues Canada’s trajectory of temporary migration, where the majority of new arrivals each year are on temporary study, work or refugee permits without equal rights or services. $168.3 million dollars has been allocated to paying for the management and the fallout of temporary immigration streams, and almost a billion dollars for border enforcement rather than ensuring full and permanent immigration status for all. The federal budget’s announcement of a childcare program does not ensure permanent resident status on arrival for the tens of thousands of low-waged, racialized migrant women who take care of children. There is no recovery without full equality and that requires full and permanent immigration status for all.  

The Trudeau government’s budget  announced the following on Im/migration: 

  • Budget 2021 acknowledges that migrants were responsible for 75% of Canada’s net GDP growth in 2019, but does not ensure equal rights for migrants. 
  • The Budget re-commits the federal government to recently announced time-limited and exclusionary pathways to permanent residence. 
    • This program excludes undocumeted migrants, refugees, students in programs less than 2 years long, those that are currently unemployed, those without valid work authorization, those that cannot pass language exams, and those in many essential industries. There are only 90,000 spots for hundreds of thousands of potential applicants who are scrambling  to get their applications in order, and pass language tests during the third wave.
  • Budget 2021 announces that the Government of Canada intends to propose amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to provide the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada with even more authority to determine who becomes a permanent resident. 
    • Over the last decade, incredible power has been centralized in the Minister’s hands resulting in the proliferation of so-called Pilot Programs, creating more and more temporary immigration streams and “pathways” to permanent residency that few people can access. It is time to overhaul the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to ensure permanent resident status for all migrants, including on arrival. 
  • Budget 2021 proposes to provide $656.1 million over five years, beginning in 2021-22, and $123.8 million ongoing, to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to modernize the borders.
    • These funds will likely result in increased immigration enforcement, more integration with US Border control but will not ensure oversight of CBSA. Border enforcement will not fight COVID nor heal any wounds of the pandemic – border enforcement only deepens them.
  • Budget 2021 proposes to provide $57.6 million in 2021-22 to extend the Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program to help employers offset costs associated with temporary foreign workers fulfilling isolation requirements upon entering Canada.
  • $54.9 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to increase inspections
    • ESDC’s inspection program does not give migrant workers the ability to assert their rights. By law, ESDC cannot even share the fact or results of an inspection with the workers whose complaints triggered those inspections in the first place, much less ensure that they are compensated in instances of abuse. Only six employers have been found ineligible through these inspections since the start of COVID-19, despite the wave of massive COVID outbreaks, migrant worker deaths, and worker complaints that occured in the first and second waves of the pandemic.
  • $6.3 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to support faster processing and improved service delivery of open work permits for vulnerable workers
  • Budget 2021 proposes to invest $428.9 million over five years, with $398.5 million in remaining amortization, starting in 2021-22, to develop and deliver a new digital platform for immigration process.
    • The problems with the immigration system are not just about technology. Processing backlogs and long wait times are the result of the many unjust and impossible requirements migrants must meet in order to access permanent residency.
  • $49.5 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to Employment and Social Development Canada, to support community-based organizations in the provision of migrant worker-centric programs and services, such as on-arrival orientation services and assistance in emergency and at-risk situations, through the new Migrant Worker Support Program.
    • This funding aims to provide rights information to migrants without permanent resident status that migrant groups have called a “waste of resources”. But the problem is not that migrants don’t have information about their rights, it’s that they are either excluded from rights or cannot assert those they do have without risking termination and deportation, because of their temporary immigration status. 

 

 

 

— 

Media Contact:
Syed Hussan
416-453-3632
hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org 

 

Migrant and Undocumented People Expect Full & Permanent Immigration Status for All

Minister Mendicino will make an announcement regarding new “pathways for immigration” on April 14, 2021 at 1:30pm EST. Migrant Rights Network will be available for comment immediately after. 

Canada, April 13, 2021 — The Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s largest migrant led coalition with membership in 9 provinces – calls on Immigration Minister Mendicino to announce immediate permanent resident status for all 1.6 million people in the country currently without it. The Migrant Rights Network also calls on the federal government to ensure that all low-waged migrants that arrive in the future do so with permanent resident status. 

“Any multi-tier system of immigration where some have permanent residency – and therefore rights to decent work, healthcare, family unification and freedom from reprisals – while others are temporary or without status engenders exploitation. The public has seen this exposed in extreme and deadly ways during COVID-19,” says Syed Hussan from the Migrant Rights Network Secretariat. “All of us are essential, nothing short of full and permanent immigration status for all is an acceptable response to the current crisis.” 

BACKGROUND

(1) Status for All is not the same as a ‘Pathway to Immigration’. ‘Pathways’ are multi-step processes in which migrants must remain temporary for years. Temporary status means not having equal access to rights and services. Some temporary work programs tie workers to employers, creating a massive power imbalance that makes it impossible for workers to assert basic workplace rights – the abuse faced by farm workers and care workers in COVID-19 has been well documented. Study and work permit holders are often unable to access basic healthcare, income supports in times of emergency and also face labour exploitation because of limits on where and how much they can work. We do not need more temporariness. We need permanent resident status for all. 

(2) ‘Pathways’ already exist for some temporary residents (care workers, students, refugees, farmworkers, etc.), and they have proven to be nothing but minefields of abuse. ‘Pathway’ programs include educational, language and length of work requirements that are impossible to meet. These requirements breed abuse by forcing workers to accept bad working conditions in the hopes of possibly qualifying for permanent resident status one day. The recently announced ‘Guardian Angels’ program for example, excluded most occupations in healthcare, and were restricted to refugee claimants who had received a work permit. 

(3) Migrants who cannot meet the restrictive requirements of pathway programs often lose their status and are often forced to stay in Canada, excluded from almost all rights and protections. 

(4) Over 450 labour, civil society and environmental organizations and tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for full and permanent immigration status for all: www.StatusforAll.ca. 

(5) Migrant Rights Network demands the government meet with migrant organizations to create a Status for All program that includes at least the following:

  • A moratorium on all detentions and deportations is put in place immediately to ensure undocumented people applying for status are protected. During this time, all undocumented and migrant residents in Canada should get immediate and open work authorization and full access to all basic entitlements; 
  • A regularization process must be created where all migrants in the country get permanent residence status or citizenship, without any exclusions by work history, previous immigration status, health status, previous access to social assistance, criminality, and without any other language or education requirements.
  • All low-waged workers arriving in Canada in the future should arrive with Permanent Resident status if they so choose.  

Media Contact:
National – Karen Cocq, Migrant Rights Network, 647-970-8464
Alberta – Vanessa Ortiz, 403-612-7396
Atlantic – Stacey Gomez, 902-9994458
British Columbia – Byron Cruz, 604-315-7725

Send an email: Support immigration prisoners in COVID19 outbreak

Campaign by Solidarity Across Borders.

Immigration detention is imprisonment without trial because the federal government insists that these migrants will otherwise not show up for their deportation. Dozens are being imprisoned in Quebec even though the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has paused its deportations in Quebec because of the risks of expelling people during a global pandemic.

Please fill out your information above to send a letter and share on social media.

Share this call to action widely! Use the hashtag set #FreeThemAll #StatusForAll along with #HungerStrikeLaval to show your support for the struggle on social media! We encourage you to tag Bill Blair, Marco Mendicino, Justin Trudeau, and other government officials.

Migrant Rights and Health Experts call for Safe and Dignified Access without Fear to COVID19 Vaccines for Migrant and Undocumented Residents

Canada, February 24, 2021 — The Migrant Rights Network along with leading doctors, health policy experts, and labour leaders, is calling for immediate action to ensure that all migrant and undocumented residents of Canada are able to be vaccinated. A letter signed by 270 organizations outlines specific measures that must be implemented in order to make government assurances about universal vaccine access a reality. For the COVID vaccine to be accessible to migrants in a safe and non-coercive manner, the following must be implemented:  

  1. Vaccination must be provided free of charge;
  2. Vaccination must not require a health card or health coverage;
  3. Names, addresses or other identifying information should not be required for vaccination because migrant and undocumented people are fearful of sharing this information; 
  4. No ID information should be shared with federal immigration enforcement;
  5. Vaccine must be accessible (in rural communities, to those who don’t speak English or French, don’t have access to a computer, telephone, etc);
  6. COVID-19 vaccination should not be coercive or mandatory. To protect against this, anti-reprisal protections and permanent resident status must be ensured for migrants that speak up about workplace issues; 
  7. Vaccine providers must be trained so that they don’t turn away people who don’t have health coverage or are fearful of sharing their ID;
  8. Anti-racist public education is necessary to address vaccine hesitancy. Migrants have well-founded reasons to distrust medical systems because of histories of violence and coercion;
  9. Universal healthcare for all; and 
  10. Full and permanent immigration status for all. 

QUOTES

“I am on the frontlines everyday just like everyone else who lives and works in the home but while they are now better protected from the virus, I am not. Undocumented workers are already denied access to healthcare, housing, social services and legal rights. Now we are being denied the COVID vaccine. But undocumented workers make up part of Canadian society and this needs to be acknowledged by the government. The vaccine should be a basic human right for all who live here. All migrants deserve permanent status so that we can have equal rights and protections and be reunited with our families.” – Lily, an undocumented worker at a Long-Term Care facility in Toronto, who was denied the COVID vaccine, member of Caregivers Action Centre

“Migrant and undocumented people are at the forefront of the COVID crisis and deserve safe and dignified access to the COVID vaccine. Hundreds have told us they are afraid that if they get the vaccine their information will be handed over to immigration enforcement, or that employers will use the vaccine to coerce them. We call on the federal government to give full and permanent immigrations status to all migrant and undocumented people immediately, so that migrants can access the protection they need. We also call on the provinces to ensure universal health care for all not just in policy, but in practice.” – Byron Cruz, Sanctuary Health & Migrant Rights Network 

“Early in the pandemic, many provinces made available medical care that was previously unfunded for those without, or with the wrong residency, immigration or citizenship status. However, many of these announcements were made without proper implementation plans. As a result, previously excluded groups continued to be refused care at the point of access. As we approach the end of this pandemic, we cannot make the same mistake with vaccines.”- Dr Danyaal Raza, Board Chair, Canadian Doctors for Medicare

“Everyone living in Canada is covered by the 5 principles of the Canada Health Act. This means everyone has universality and accessibility to health care when needed. This right must include migrants’ access to the COVID vaccine and requires measures to ensure this right is guaranteed in practice, not just in policy.” – Pauline Worsfold, RN, Chair, Canadian Health Coalition & Secretary-Treasurer, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions 

“My mother is very ill and I am her primary caregiver, so I have to limit my outings to avoid putting her at risk since we do not have any health care. The curfew in Quebec means I am afraid to go out in case I get stopped by the police and asked for ID. My mother is in the most at-risk category for COVID but we don’t even know if she will get the vaccine because we have no status. This is why we are asking for a status for all. No one should be left behind.” – Samira, undocumented migrant and member of Solidarity Across Borders, Montreal. 

Background

  • 1 in 23 people in Canada – over 1.6 million – don’t have permanent resident status. Many are in essential jobs including healthcare, cleaning, construction, delivery and agriculture. 
  • Many migrants in Canada don’t have a health card either because they are undocumented or because their work or study permits, to which health coverage is tied, have expired due to government processing delays. Those without health cards are being denied vaccination. 
  • Undocumented people are afraid that their personal information will be shared with federal immigration enforcement if they go to get vaccinated. 
  • Some employers have threatened migrants with job loss and deportation if they aren’t vaccinated. This is so employers don’t lose profits as a result of outbreaks or workers falling ill. 
  • Racialized and migrant communities have faced generations of exploitation and abuse at the hands of medical systems and scientific research. No specific training for service providers or public education and outreach to racialized migrants has been developed to ensure safe and dignified access to vaccination. 
  • The only way to ensure equal rights is to ensure everyone has the same immigration status. Migrants continue to raise the call for full and permanent immigration status for all: https://migrantrights.ca/status-for-all/ 

Media Contact: Karen Cocq, 647-970-8464, karen@migrantworkersalliance.org.
Please email us for recording of press conference that took place at 11am EST, February 24, 2021.

 

Advisory: Day of the Dead Marked With Mourning & Calls for Full & Permanent Immigration Status for All

October 30, 2020 – Migrants, refugees, undocumented people, workers and students are taking action on Day of the Dead – November 1st and 2nd to honour the lives of migrants that have died during COVID-19, and to call for full and permanent immigration status for all as the second wave of COVID-19 ramps up. Actions including die-ins, altars for the dead, and rallies will take place in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Niagara, Sherbrooke, Sudbury & Halifax and come just days after a stunning report that exposed migrant care worker exploitation during COVID-19. Day of the Dead is a very important celebration to honor and celebrate the departed in Mexico and Guatemala, dating back to Indigenous traditions centuries old.

Cross-Canada Media Contact: info@migrantrights.ca

NOVEMBER 1 Details & Contact Information

  • MONTRÉAL, 5pm, Radio-Canada, 1400, Boul. René-Lévesque est. Contact: Solidarity Across Borders, 514-222-0205. 
  • NIAGARA, 7:30pm, Facebook Live. Contact: Kit Andres, 905-324-2840
  • SHERBROOKE, 2pm, 175 Rue Queen. Contact: Nastaran Daniali: (819) 416-2864.
  • SUDBURY, 2pm, Bell Park – Miner’s Monument. Contact: Scott Florence, 705-470-3323
  • TORONTO, 5pm, Dufferin Grove Park. Contact: Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632
  • VANCOUVER, 1pm, Grandview Park. Contact: Byron Cruz, 604-315-7725; Julie Diesta – 604 874 0649

NOVEMBER 2 Details & Contact Information

  • HALIFAX, 6:30pm, 2221 Maitland St. Contact: No one is illegal – Halifax/K’jipuktuk – noii.hfx@gmail.com 

Background

  • At least 1 in 23 people in Canada (over 1.6 million) are non permanent residents. 
  • Thousands of migrants have gotten COVID-19, many have died because they are excluded from universal healthcare, access to emergency income supports, and decent work. Many are separated from their families. 
  • Migrants are unable to fully protect themselves during COVID-19 because of lack of emergency support, and because speaking out about unsafe work and housing conditions can result in deportation, homelessness, or not being able to return.  
  • Over 350 organizations have released a letter calling for full and permanent immigration status for all: https://migrantrights.ca/status-for-all/

RELEASE: Migrant care workers expose exploitation ‘Behind Closed Doors’ during COVID-19 in new report

Toronto, October 28, 2020 — Migrant care worker organizations are releasing a report today documenting the experiences of hundreds of racialized migrant domestic workers during COVID-19. The report, “Behind Closed Doors: Exposing Migrant Care Worker Exploitation During COVID-19”, features shocking stories of abuse including working every day without a break, thousands of dollars in stolen wages, workers being trapped in employers’ homes for months, and being laid off and evicted. The report documents how these crises threaten workers’ ability to unite with their families and access permanent residency, and calls for full and permanent immigration status for all migrants as the only solution. 

“I came to Canada for my future and my family’s future, but my employer took advantage of me and underpaid me because of my tied work permit” said Karen Savitra, a migrant care worker from the Philippines who has been in Canada since 2016 and is a member of the Caregivers’ Action Centre. She worked 12 hours a day, 5 days a week during COVID-19, but was only paid $1,440 per month until she was fired because her employer moved out of town to escape the pandemic. “We should be given permanent residency upon arrival, along with our families, so that there is no complication for anything. They allowed us to come to Canada, we worked here, now we want fairness.”

The report is based on over 200 surveys that were filled out by migrant care workers from across the country. Nearly 1 in 2 respondents that kept working during COVID-19 reported longer hours of work. Over 40% of respondents also reported not being paid for any extra hours of work, averaging approximately $226 in unpaid wages per week, or $6,552 in unpaid wages per worker over the last six months.

“I am worried about being without status. It’s very hard. It’s very scary,” said Harpeet Kaur, a migrant care worker from India and member of the Caregivers’ Action Centre, speaking at the report launch today. Her work permit is expiring in November, and according to the terms of her work permit, she is not allowed to work for any other employer. “Without full immigration status, migrants like me don’t have the power to protect ourselves even in COVID-19. It’s not fair.”

One in 3 survey respondents reported being forbidden by their employers to leave the house, take public transit, buy groceries, send remittances to families abroad or visit doctors during COVID-19. Workers were barred from meeting with friends or partners.

In one case, a worker reported her bank account being frozen but not being able to visit the bank to resolve the issue because her employer would not let her leave the house. As a result, the worker was unable to send remittances to her family for 3 months.

More than 1 in 3 survey respondents lost their jobs during COVID-19, and were forced to move out and try to find new work. One in 3 respondents that lost work reported on-going problems in accessing the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or Employment Insurance (EI). Nearly half of all respondents reported concerns about employers processing their Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs). Without an LMIA, there is no work permit and workers cannot complete the 24 months of work necessary to apply for permanent residency. 

“I’m so worried because I need a job to support my family,” says Vancouver-based Judy Cabato, a migrant care worker from the Philippines. Judy, a member of the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Worker and Caregiver Rights, was laid off in April. She has completed the requirements to apply for permanent residency but application processing is delayed due to COVID-19. Her work permit, and therefore her health card and Social Insurance Number, also expired. As a result, she cannot access emergency income support or healthcare. “ I’m here in Canada to work. I want to work. My family needs me to work. I am appealing to the government – grant us, all migrants, without exception, Full and Permanent Immigration Status For All, and Now!”

Over 10,000 people and 350 organizations have joined with the Migrant Rights Network to call for full and permanent immigration status for all. Actions are taking place across Canada on November 1 and 2, 2020 including in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Sudbury, Niagara and Sherbrooke: www.MigrantRights.ca/Nov1. Media is invited. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REPORT & WORKER QUOTES

Please read the full report including recommendations here:
www.MigrantRights.ca/BehindClosedDoors 

Lack of permanent resident status makes it impossible for workers to assert their rights

  • “I work non-stop as a live-in caregiver under elderly care program. Since pandemic I am working 24/7 for months without the chance of having my off day during the weekend. I have no choice since my work permit is tied to my employer until I am able to complete my 24 months experience and my contract that I signed with them.” 
  • “Treatment for care workers here in Canada isn’t fair. The employer’s taking advantage of workers without permanent paper.”

Workers are being forced to work long hours without pay

  • “I’m working more, longer hours! Since I am staying in the house even though I am on my day off I still have to work and no overtime pay.” 
  • “I’m working more, longer hours!, my employer is very rich and big house they love to party and i works long hours then they didn’t pay me for my over time”

Employers have trapped migrant workers in homes

  • “I really want to go back to my apartment and it’s only a walking distance from my employer’s home but they won’t let me”
  • “I can’t even go out because my employer is scared that I might bring them the virus.” 
  • I’m just concerned about the 12-13 hours work with just 8hrs and late pay. Need to work on Saturdays and Sundays in order not to be starved. They’re not forcing me to stay just inside the house, however, they’re not allowing me to be in public transportation. Whenever i want to go outside and have some walk, I am obliged to inform them, and be back immediately. Therefore, it is simply a strategy not to leave the house during the weekend. I’m so sad for no freedom at all.”
  • “Due to the virus, I have no freedom, I hope that I can apply for PR in advance.”

Many workers who were laid off cannot access income support because of expired SINs caused by permit processing delays

  • “They stopped my EI because my SIN expired. I can’t find a job because my SIN and Working Permit are expired. What will I do?”

Many workers are concerned about being unable to complete program requirements due to COVID-19:

24 months of work necessary to apply for Permanent Residence

  • “I’ve been in Canada for almost 2 years now but i have only completed 7 months of on-permit experience in the 2 years i was here. 24 months is a really long requirement for getting PR. They should at least launch a program too for us soon so we are able to apply PR. Working while there is COVID is risky too with us nannies, not only for health care workers. We keep the children safe and we can’t go anywhere since we are very cautious of riding public transit. They should open another path since there’s lots of application backlogs and pandemic is still going on. Or better create another program for us to easily get our PR now. The new pathway takes lots of requirements and long processing time.”

High English language requirements

  • “I’m 4 years with my employer but can’t apply to Permanent Residence because I failed the English test. My employer released me even though she did need a live in caregiver.”
  • “I’m stressed with my bosses divorce fight and they put me in the middle all the time. I can’t focus on doing my paperwork and can’t pass the English test. I am a single mum with 4 kids. I am working hard to provide for my kids, and now I’m worried that I can’t reunite with them because of the English test and the education evaluation.”

Lack of sick leave and healthcare are exacerbating increased mental and physical health concerns

  • “I am still working during the coronavirus crisis, I am really concerned that I can not get PR if I get sick.”
  • “I’m worried because I don’t have status since I already applied for my PR and open work permit. My SIN and my OHIP both need to be renewed but I can’t.”
  • “I am feeling so depressed about my family if I will get PR or not. Working without family here alone it’s too difficult”.

Family separation is a primary concern for migrant care workers

  • “I’m always thinking about my family back home. This pandemic caused me so much stress thinking  how to bring my family here in Canada. It’s not easy to be alone.”
  • “I applied for my PR in September 2019 and still no response. Just a few weeks ago I received an email to confirm that I couldn’t sponsor my only son because he is 23 years old now. I am really so sad about it because I have only one son. COVID delayed everything.“
  • “I want to reunite with my family as soon as possible. My kid was only 4 years old when I left home. I do hope Canada will make it easy for us to reunite with family easily.”

Media Contact
Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org 

 

Migrants Rally Across Canada In Lead Up to Throne Speech

CANADA – Migrants, refugees, undocumented people, workers and students are taking action on September 18-20 in 10 cities to call for full and permanent immigration status for all. These actions come just days before the throne speech where Prime Minister Trudeau is expected to announce a new mandate for COVID-19 recovery.  The cross-country day of action is coordinated by the Migrant Rights Network, Canada’s migrant justice coalition. On September 14, a coalition of over 300 organizations which include over 8 million people released a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau calling for full and permanent immigration status. This comes after months of protest, led by undocumented migrants and other migrants with precarious status, demanding a fully inclusive regularization program. Read the statement here: www.statusforall.ca

Actions & Media Contacts
Cross-Country Contact: Syed Hussan, Migrant Rights Network – 416-453-3632, hussan@mgrantworkersalliance.org

September 18, 2020

  • KELOWNA: Contact: Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture, 250-215-3415
  • VANCOUVER: Contact: CDWCR, 778-881-8345 and Sanctuary Health, 604-315-7725

September 20, 2020

  • TORONTO: September 20, 2pm, Dundas Square. Contact: Syed Hussan, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, 416-453-3632 
  • MONTREAL: September 20, 2pm, Bureau Premier Ministre Legault, 2001 ave McGill College. Contact: Solidarity Across Borders, 514-222-0205
  • HAMILTON: September 20, 2pm, 1579 Main St. W.., march to MP Filomena Tassi’s office 1686 Main St. West. Contact: Jennifer Hompoth, 416-960-3098.
  • ST CATHARINES: September 20, 2pm, MP Chris Bittle’s office, 61 Geneva Street. Contact: Kit Andres, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, 905-324-2840 
  • SUDBURY: 3 PM, Marc Serré office, 2914 Hwy 69 N, Unit 1, Val Caron
  • Online actions are also taking place in Fredericton, Kitchener and St. John’s. More actions are being updated see https://migrantrights.ca/sep20/ for the latest. 

Background

  • At least 1 in 23 people in Canada (over 1.6 million) are non permanent residents. 
  • Migrants are on various study, work or humanitarian permits, or without documentation at all. 
  • Many migrants are excluded from universal healthcare, access to emergency income supports, and decent work. Many are separated from their families. 
  • Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, refugees, students and undocumented people have lost their lives and livelihoods in COVID-19. 
  • Migrants are unable to fully protect themselves during COVID-19 because of lack of emergency support, and because speaking out about unsafe work and housing conditions can result in deportation, homelessness, or not being able to return.  
  • The federal government announced a “pathway to permanent residency for some asylum claimants working in the health-care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic” on August 14th. However, COVID-19 does not differentiate between people, and neither should the government response. 
  • Over 300 organızatıons ıssued a joint letter to Prıme Mınıster Trudeau callıng for full and permanent resıdent status for all thıs week: www.StatusforAll.ca

Hundreds of groups with over 8 million members call for equal rights and permanent immigration status for migrants amidst COVID-19 recovery

Press conference, 9am, September 14, 2020. Contact for video.
Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org

Toronto, September 14, 2020 — This morning, as the federal Liberal cabinet meets to set their priorities for the Throne Speech, over 280 organizations that include 8 million people are calling for a fair society with equal rights for migrants. Faith, labour, climate and Indigenous leaders are sending a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau stating, “We call for a single-tier immigration system, where everyone in the country has the same rights. All migrants, refugees and undocumented people in the country must be regularized and given full immigration status now without exception. All migrants arriving in the future must do so with full and permanent immigration status.” The full letter and list of signatories will be released during the press conference. 

The full statement and signatories is at www.StatusforAll.ca (www.StatutpourTous.ca for French). 

Migrants in Canada are hit hard by the COVID-19, with many dying and thousands unable to access the emergency care and support that others in Canada have relied on. At least 1,300 farm workers have contracted COVID-19 just in Ontario. The pandemic has revealed the extent to which Canada relies on migrants to grow our food, care for our families, deliver our packages, and support our schools. And yet, while migrants form the backbone of this country, they are relegated to an underclass with substandard rights and precarious status, compounding their hardship. Trudeau has promised “to build back better.”  This must include equal rights and full immigration status for migrants.  

“For far too long, migrant workers have been denied equal rights in Canada. They have been subjected to recruiter corruption, employer exploitation, poverty wages, treacherous work, harassment, intimidation, discrimination, and threats of deportation. Today, the Labour movement, not only here in Ontario, but across the country, reaffirms this call for full and permanent immigration status for all”, said Patty Coates, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. The OFL is Canada’s largest provincial labour federation, representing over one million Ontario workers belonging to 54 affiliated unions. Provincial labour federations representing unions in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northern Territories, Nova Scotia, PEI, Saskatchewan, and Yukon are also signatories to the statement.

The letter initiated by Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s only national migrant-led coalition –  highlights how, “Migrants, refugees, and undocumented people want to take care of their families and be active members of their communities. But federal immigration rules tip the scales against them.”

“Canada is the 10th largest contributor to global climate change, which is forcing millions of people from their communities as they flee environmental destruction, conflict driven by increasing resource scarcity, and massive land grabs that give way to huge development projects – including Canadian-owned mining and extractive activities. Migrants who make their way to Canada deserve to live with dignity, respect, and status. The Canadian government can and must make choices now to allow the care and solidarity that are shaping our experience of the present to transform our future,” says Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network, Canada’s largest climate coalition representing over 100 organizations. 

Major environmental organizations including 350.org, The Leap, Council of Canadians, Environmental Defence Canada, Blue Green Canada and Wilderness Committee have also added their voice to the open letter that reads, “Full immigration status for all is an essential step towards eliminating inequalities in the workplace and necessary for a transition to a just and sustainable economy of care.”

“Extraordinary times call for bold action. In taking this step, Canada will not only sustain our population and expand our economy, we will strengthen families, honour essential workers and build cohesive community with our neighbours. Status for all is racial, labour, and social justice—wrapped into one. It just makes good sense,” added Jennifer Henry, Executive Director of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. KAIROS is Canada’s faith based coalition of 10 churches and religious organizations. The United Church of Canada, Islamic Social Services Association, Loretto Sisters Canada and Office of the National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop are also signatories to the letter. 

Over the last 6 months, Migrant Rights Network members have organized over 30 protests for full and permanent immigration status for all. Today’s open letter, signed by organizations representing all sectors of society from across the country, shows that migrants are not alone. The next day of action is on September 20: www.MigrantRights.ca/Sep20. 

The letter outlines how, “COVID-19 has exposed deep inequalities in our society. The fault lines are gendered and racialized: the worst impacts are being felt by women and in Indigenous, Black and Brown communities.”

Lindsey Bacigal, Director of Communications for Indigenous Climate Action, a national Indigenous led climate organization, agrees and added, “Migrants and Indigenous Peoples share similar experiences of injustice in so-called Canada. Full and permanent status for all is an important step in rectifying this, while also working towards creating a just and equitable future where our communities can do more than just survive, but we can thrive. Anything less allows for systems of oppression – and those that uphold them – to continue to benefit from the injustices our communities face.”

Mark Hancock, National President, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) added, “Thousands of migrant workers and undocumented people, mainly racialized workers, are doing essential work that supports us all. They’re being exploited because of their immigration status, and that has to stop. CUPE stands with migrant workers in their fight against discrimination, low wages, and dangerous conditions, and calls on the Canadian government to end this unfair and unequal treatment, and ensure all migrants, refugees and undocumented people have the right to live and work in Canada.” CUPE is Canada’s largest union and is a signatory to the letter, along with Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union. United Steelworkers, National Union of Public and General Employees and SEIU Local 2 are among many national and provincial labour signatories.

Other signatories of note include Oxfam, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, ACORN, Leadnow, Canadian Federation of Students, SumofUs and the federal body of immigration and settlement agencies, Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance. 

###

www.MigrantRights.ca 

 

Privacy and Disclosure

Migrant Rights Network / Migrant Workers Alliance for Change* (MRN-MWAC) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of its web visitors. Any personally identifiable information we collect will be used solely by and for MRN-MWAC and will not be shared with any other party unless you have given explicit consent to the disclosure or the disclosure is permitted under the Privacy Act. We will never sell or trade mailing lists for commercial purposes, nor allow any of our external suppliers to sell or trade our mailing lists.

Submitting personal information to the MRN-MWAC means you are giving the MRN-MWAC consent to use your personal information in accordance with the privacy notice statement. When you register for an event, subscribe to our list-serve, sign a petition, donate or otherwise share information with us, you consent to the MRN-MWAC contacting you with information on other events or services we may offer and you may opt out of receiving communications from us by unsubscribing on the email or SMS you receive.

When you unsubscribe from email or text by texting “STOP” – we will send you a message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time.

As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider.

If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can email info@migrantrights.ca 

Migrant Workers Alliance for Change is the Secretariat of the Migrant Rights Network

ADVISORY: Migrants Rally Across Canada Calling for Expansion of Regularization Program to All on August 23

Migrants, refugees, undocumented people, workers and students are taking to the streets on August 23rd to call for full and permanent immigration status for all. Parliament may be prorogued but migrants are still in crisis. Actions in ten cities and five provinces are calling for the expansion of the newly announced pathway to permanent residency for some refugees in healthcare to include everyone in the country without permanent resident status. COVID-19 has worsened existing inequalities and with fears of a second wave on the horizon, swift action is needed to ensure migrants are not put in further jeopardy. The cross-country day of action is coordinated by the Migrant Rights Network, Canada’s migrant justice coalition. The Migrant Rights Network is calling on all political parties to ensure a plan for regularization is announced in the upcoming speech from the throne. 

August 23, 2020 Actions & Media Contacts

  • NATIONAL CONTACT: Karen Cocq, Migrant Rights Network – 647-970-8464 [EN/FR]
  • TORONTO: 2:15pm. Immigration and Refugee Board and CBSA Offices (74 Victoria Street). Contact: Sarom Rho, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 647-858-2854 
  • MONTREAL: Contact: Solidarity Across Borders – 514-809-0773 
    • Montréal-Nord: 2pm, Henri Bourassa metro (in front of the IGA)
    • Parc Ex: 2pm, Parc metro
    • Côte-des-neiges: 2pm, Plamondon metro (Van Horne exit)
    • Downtown: 2pm, Berri UQAM (Émilie Gamelin exit)
  • NIAGARA: 1pm, Niagara Detention Centre (1355 Uppers Lane). Contact: Kit Andres, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 905-324-2840. 
  • VANCOUVER: 3pm, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (877 Expo Blvd). Contact: Nayeli Jimenez – 778-874-4977.
  • REGINA: 1pm, MP Michael Kram Office (Quance St 2723 E). Contact: Gurjinder Singh Lehal – pres@ursu.ca or 431-997-9949
  • SHERBROOKE: 2pm, Bureau d’Élisabeth Brière, députée fédérale de Sherbrooke (1650 Rue King Ouest). Contact: Fritzna Blaise Malebranche: (819) 342-9693; Nastaran Daniali: (819) 416-2864 Ensemble avec les personnes migrantes contre le racisme.
  • WINDSOR: 3pm, Immigration and Refugee and CBSA Offices (1250 Walker Rd).  
  • OTTAWA: 2pm, Immigration and Refugee Board (344 Slater Street). Contact: Erin Leigh, Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW) – 613-858-5136
  • HALIFAX: Multiple locations. Contact: No one is illegal – Halifax/K’jipuktuk – noii.hfx@gmail.com
  • OKANAGAN: Multiple locations. Contact: RAMA – RamaOkanagan@gmail.com 

More actions are being updated, see www.MigrantRights.ca/August23 for the latest. 

BACKGROUND

  • At least 1 in 23 people in Canada (over 1.6 million) are non permanent residents. 
  • Migrants are on various study, work or humanitarian permits, or without documentation at all. 
  • Many migrants are excluded from universal healthcare, access to emergency income supports, and decent work. Many are separated from their families. 
  • Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, refugees, students and undocumented people have lost their lives and livelihoods in COVID-19. 
  • Migrants are unable to fully protect themselves during COVID-19 because of lack of emergency support, and because speaking out about unsafe work and housing conditions can result in deportation, homelessness, or not being able to return.  
  • The federal government announced a “pathway to permanent residency for some asylum claimants working in the health-care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic” on August 14th. However, COVID-19 does not differentiate between people, neither should the government response. 
  • Nearly 12,000 people have signed a petition calling for permanent immigration status for all: https://migrantrights.ca/covid19/, 
  • Migrant Rights Network’s proposal for Status for All is here: https://migrantrights.ca/statusforall/ 

 

Federal farmworker announcement falls short. Full and permanent immigration status needed

CANADA, July 31, 2020 — Migrant Food and Farmworker organizations in British Columbia, PEI, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec are responding to today’s announcement by the federal government of another $59 million dollars, mostly directed to the agri-food industry and government, by reiterating our call for full and permanent immigration status for all. Without full and permanent immigration status, all other measures will fail to protect workers’ lives and livelihoods from COVID-19, poor housing, and employer exploitation. 

“We know that inspections can only enforce existing laws, but the existing laws are bad. Migrant farm workers are excluded from basic labour laws like minimum wage or time off, universal healthcare is difficult to access, and there are no real anti-reprisal protections,” says Kit Andres, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change Niagara. “More inspections won’t save lives; giving migrants the power to protect themselves and have equality through permanent immigration status will.”

Just yesterday, migrant farmworker Gabriel Flores who worked at Scotlynn farm in Ontario, called on Minister Mendicino for permanent resident status for all, after being fired for asking for healthcare and speaking to the press. In his letter, he wrote, “We need permanent resident status now, so workers can have the power to protect ourselves. Our health, our well-being, our families, and our lives depend on it.” 

In another recent case, migrant workers at Balamore Farms in Nova Scotia, reported that supervisors chose which workers would speak to inspectors and instructed them to say “that they are treating us good and paying us ok and if they dont they are going to go back to Jamaica and they won’t be able to go to another farm either”. See more here: https://twitter.com/MWACCanada/status/1289219693862158338

The federal government has also announced consultations to develop a proposal for mandatory housing requirements. However, without permanent immigration status, migrant workers will not be able to assert their rights or complain when these requirements are not met.

“Migrant workers on farms across the country are falling sick and need immediate and real change. We don’t need more consultations, we know the answers: the federal government could mandate physical distancing at all housing and workplaces which would stop the spread of COVID-19, and ensure permanent resident status now so workers can actually protect themselves,” says Byron Cruz, of Sanctuary Health in Vancouver. 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

  • National Coordination: Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632
  • Atlantic: 
      • Ann Wheatley, 902-388-8183, Cooper Institute
      • Stacey Gomez, 902-999-4458, No One is Illegal – Halifax/K’jipuktuk 
  • British Columbia
      • Byron Cruz, 604-315-7725, Sanctuary Health
  • Ontario: Kit Andres, 905-324-2840, Migrant Workers Alliance 
  • Quebec: Viviana Medina, 438 881 9174, Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants

Statement by Migrant Rights Network – Food and Farmworkers Working Group

July 4 Cross-Country Day of Action for Status for All!

Demand full immigration status for all: undocumented migrants, temporary foreign workers, careworkers, international students, refugees. Young or old, working or not, criminalized or not. End the systemic racism! Equal people means equal migration status!

ACTION IN MANY CITIES

Online Teach-In: Canada Day What? Fighting Colonialism & Anti-Black Racism

Join us as we discuss the fight for Indigenous self-determination and Black Lives and intersections with the struggle for migrant justice and full immigration status for all on “Canada Day”, July 1, 2020.

SPEAKERS:
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger is a Dënesųłiné woman (ts’ékui), member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and mother of two, coming from a family of Indigenous rights advocates fighting for the recognition, sovereignty and autonomy of their Indigenous lands and territory in what is now known as Treaty 8, Canada. She is the Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action

El Jones is a spoken word poet, an educator, journalist, and a community activist living in African Nova Scotia. She was the fifth Poet Laureate of Halifax. She is a co-founder of the Black Power Hour, a live radio show with incarcerated people to the many nameless and unrecognized women whose work makes it possible for her to be here today.

Migrants Ask Prime Minister Trudeau to Regularize Essential and Excluded Workers and Families

CANADA, June 14, 2020 — Over 40 migrant, refugee and undocumented led groups and allies are launching a call for full immigration status for all today. Thousands are expected to join digital rallies and caravans as COVID-19 continues to threaten migrant and undocumented lives and livelihoods. Following the deaths of two farmworkers in Ontario, Prime Minister Trudeau promised to “do better”. Already, the federal cabinet is considering regularizing some asylum seekers working in healthcare in Quebec. The Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s largest migrant justice coalition – is calling for regularization and full immigration status for all non-permanent residents in the country to give migrants the ability to protect and care for themselves and their families during the pandemic. Migrants in the future must also come with full rights. Full Immigration Status for All is necessary for a full and just recovery from COVID-19.

“We hear more farm workers have COVID-19. Our health and safety is at risk. Our housing and work conditions make it so that if one person falls sick, everyone will fall sick. But we don’t have safe ways to complain without the threats of being fired, deported, and banned from coming back. There have already been two deaths, Bonifacio and Rogelio. More deaths will keep happening, so we won’t stop fighting. We come to Canada for a better life, not to die. No more deaths, No more family separation! Permanent resident status now!” – Clarke, Jamaican migrant farmworker, Niagara, Migrant Workers Alliance. 

“They call us caregivers, but this is not true. We are care workers. We raise your family. We prepare your children for the future and help the elderly live with dignity. We work too many hours, yet we are the lowest paid. Sometimes we work extra hours and we are not paid at all. But we are separated from our families.” – Winnie Waithira, migrant careworker, Toronto, Caregivers Action Centre.

“Me and my husband work in cleaning and construction. We know our work is essential to this economy. We are joining our fellow migrants – care workers, farm workers, all of us without status – because we are all valuable, we all want a better future, and we all deserve status.” – Laura Lopez, Undocumented construction worker, Vancouver, Sanctuary Health. 

“We’re tired of crying in silence and counting our failures while the system holds us down. We’re tired of hiding and living in the shadows. We’re tired of hiding from the police. We’re tired of seeing families divided because of a simple lack of status. We’re tired of not being able to take care of ourselves when we get sick. We’re tired of the guilty silence of certain media and of Justin Trudeau and his government, on the injustices forced upon people without status. We are tired of being tired. People without status and asylum seekers didn’t wait for COVID-19 to become essential workers. We were essential yesterday, we’re essential today.” – Mamadou, Undocumented young man, Montreal, Solidarity Across Borders. 

“If I have status, I have power to fight for my rights. If I have status, I have power to support myself. If I have status, My complaint will not be delayed. We are not alone. Our voices need to be heard. Our rights need to be respected. Sex work is work. This is my choice. It doesn’t matter where I work. Immigration law should not punish us!” – Mika, undocumented massage parlour worker who has been in Canada sixteen years, Toronto, Butterfly. 

“Let us unite and fight for our right to Status! Let our voices thunder across Canada and be heard in the halls of parliament. Let us stand strong and invincible! For we migrant workers are at the backbone of this country! We deserve decent work and equal rights! We need status for all!” – Marisol Bobadilla, former temporary foreign worker, Toronto, Migrante Canada. 

“We, the invisible, grow the fruit and vegetables you eat and even the flowers on your table, but we lack the choice to leave bad jobs and resist the injustices inflicted upon us by abusive employers who treat us like slaves. I think that Canada owes us something and that this is the opportunity for it to pay its debt by giving us Permanent residence.” – Luis, Migrant Farmworker who has been coming to Canada for over 20 years, Niagara, Migrant Workers Alliance.

“As international students, we pay three to four times in tuition fees. We are excluded from most of the student scholarships and government grants. We work in essential services while being paid below minimum wage. But when it comes to services and support, we are excluded. We won’t have a just and humane community, unless all of us have the rights that we deserve, unless we all have full and immigration status. ” – Rahil Adeli, International Student, Vancouver, Migrant Students United. 

“We are not here to steal anyone’s job. We are working like any other worker. Pay taxes everyone else pays into. But why are we second class workers? Workers without any rights. The work that we do are not temporary jobs. They are permanent jobs. Putting food on Canadian tables are not temporary jobs. Cleaning Canadian workplaces and homes are not temporary jobs. Taking care of Canadian children and elderly are not temporary jobs. We believe it is just to ask for health care, to ask for a living wage like everybody else. It is just to ask for permanent status for all of us,” Edelyn Royo, Migrant Worker, Edmonton, Migrante Alberta.

BACKGROUND

    • At least 1 in 23 people in Canada are migrants, without citizenship rights. 
    • Migrants are on various study, work or humanitarian permits, or without documentation at all. 
    • Many migrants are excluded from universal healthcare, access to federal income support, and decent work. Many are separated from their families. 
    • Migrants are unable to fully protect themselves during COVID-19 because of lack of income, or because speaking out about unsafe work and housing conditions can result in deportation. 
    • Read more on migrant priorities during COVID-19 at https://migrantrights.ca/covid19/, and more on Status for All at https://migrantrights.ca/statusforall/ 
    • On June 14, 2020 (all times EST):
      • 11:45am: Migrant Students Online Rally

 

  • 12:00pm: Massive Digital Rally for Status for All
  • 4:00pm: Digital Rally in Spanish for Status for All
  • 5:00pm: Digital Rally in Mandarin for Status for All
  • 5:00pm: Car Caravan for Status for All, Vancouver, BC

 

 

Media Contact: Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org

Livestream broadcast: www.migrantrights.ca 

 

test

 

 

Thousands to join Massive Digital Rally for Full Immigration Status for All

CANADA, June 11, 2020 — As COVID-19 continues to threaten migrant and undocumented lives and livelihoods, thousands are expected to rally online and in the streets for full immigration status for all migrants. Following the deaths of two farmworkers in Ontario, Prime Minister Trudeau promised to “do better”. Already, the federal cabinet is considering regularizing some asylum seekers working in healthcare in Quebec. The Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s largest migrant justice coalition – is calling for regularization and full immigration status for all non-permanent residents in the country to give migrants the ability to protect and care for themselves and their families during the pandemic. Full Immigration Status for All is necessary for a full and just recovery from COVID-19.

  • WHAT: Massive Digital Rally and Caravan for Full Immigration Status for All
  • WHEN: 12pm EST / 9am PST, June 14, 2020. Other actions throughout the day. 
  • WHERE: Broadcast at www.MigrantRights.ca/June2020  
  • WHO: Migrant and undocumented leaders from across Canada, including domestic careworkers, farmworkers, immigration detainees, refugees, migrant students and undocumented people.

BACKGROUND

  • At least 1 in 23 people in Canada are migrants, without citizenship rights. 
  • Migrants are on various study, work or humanitarian permits, or without documentation at all. 
  • Many migrants are excluded from universal healthcare, access to federal income support, and decent work. Many are separated from their families. 
  • Migrants are unable to fully protect themselves during COVID-19 because of lack of income, or because speaking out about unsafe work and housing conditions can result in deportation. 
  • Read more on migrant priorities during COVID-19 at https://migrantrights.ca/covid19/, and more on Status for All at https://migrantrights.ca/statusforall/ 
  • On June 14, 2020 (all times EST):
    • 11:45am: Migrant Students Online Rally
    • 12:00pm: Massive Digital Rally for Status for All
    • 4:00pm: Digital Rally in Spanish for Status for All
    • 5:00pm: Digital Rally in Mandarin for Status for All
    • 5:00pm: Car Caravan for Status for All, Vancouver, BC 

Media Contact: Syed Hussan, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org, 416-453-3632. Pre-interviews available.

 

 

 

Income Supports for Migrants in Canada

HAVE YOU LOST WORK OR INCOME BECAUSE OF COVID-19? YOU CAN GET INCOME SUPPORT!

You can get money from the Federal government’s emergency fund (CERB) if you have:

  • A valid or expired Social Insurance Number (SIN)

OR

  • An Individual Tax Number (ITN)

Even if your Social Insurance Number has expired and you do not have valid immigration status in Canada, you can still apply for CERB if you meet the rest of the criteria.

This is a taxable benefit. That means the government expects you to declare it on your tax return in 2021. It also means that CERB is not considered “social assistance” and will not impact your immigration applications, such as a Humanitarian and Compassionate, Sponsorship, or other Permanent Residency application. We do not know if your name or address will be shared with immigration (CBSA).

You do not need to have filed taxes in the past and you will not be asked to submit any documents at this time. However, you may be asked to provide proof that you were eligible for CERB at a later date or when you file your taxes in 2021.

If you qualify, you will receive $2,000 for four weeks. If you continue to qualify, you can re-apply three more times (for a maximum of 16 weeks). This benefit has been available since March 15th. If you met the criteria to receive CERB at any time since then, you can still apply now for these past weeks.

This information is accurate as of June 1. Things are changing constantly. Check back here regularly for updates. For media inquiries, please contact info@migrantrights.ca.

How to apply:

You can apply online or by phone.

ONLINE

(if you already have “MyAccount” or “MyServiceCanada”)

Go to: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html

You will be asked if you were self-employed or an employee. If you click “employee” then you will be asked if you were full time or part time. These questions will not disqualify you, they simply direct you to either the EI or CRA pathway for applying. You will then be asked to sign into your MyAccount / MyService Canada.

Once you have signed in, you will see the list of requirements to qualify. Click “I confirm that I meet the requirements set out above…”. You will not need to provide any documents at this time. The minimum $5000 income in the past 12 months or in 2019 can be from within or outside Canada.

If you are having trouble applying online, you can try to apply by phone. If your Social Insurance Number has expired, you may be more successful by phone.

BY PHONE

If you have filed taxes in the past, call 1-800-959-2019

  • You will be asked for your SIN, Temporary Tax Number or Individual Tax Number.

If you have never filed taxes, call 1-800-959-8281

  • You will be asked for your SIN, Temporary Tax Number or Individual Tax Number.

Whether you apply online or by phone, you will not need to submit documents at this time to prove you meet the requirements. The phone service is only available in English or French. If you need help to apply in another language, contact us using the form at the bottom of this page.

Frequently Asked Questions about accessing CERB:

  1. What are the criteria to qualify for CERB?
    • You earned a minimum of $5,000 (before taxes) in the last 12 months or in 2019, inside or outside Canada. This can be employment or self-employment income.
    • You have lost work or income due to COVID-19, and you have earned less than $1,000 in employment or self-employment income for at least 14 days in a row.
  2. If I receive CERB, will I be denied permanent resident status or will it impact my Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) application later?
    • CERB is taxable income, which means it is not considered social assistance. You can receive CERB and it will not reduce your chances of getting permanent resident status in the future or impact your H&C application.
    • Your immigration applications may be impacted if you misrepresent the facts to other branches of government, including when applying for CERB.
  3. What if I get CERB and the government later decides I was not eligible – will it impact my immigration status?
    • When you claim CERB on your taxes in 2021, if the government decides you were not eligible to receive CERB, you will be asked to repay the money. It is not a crime. The government has said there are no other consequences. It should not impact your immigration status or future applications.
  4. How do I receive the money?
    • If you have “MyAccount” set up with CRA, you can choose to receive money by direct deposit. Otherwise, you can receive the money by cheque mailed to the address you provide.
  5. What if I don’t have a bank account?
    • If you do not have a bank account, you can have a cheque mailed to you. You can then try to sign the cheque over to someone else (“endorse”) to cash at a bank. Or you can cash your cheque at a payday loan or cash store. These businesses might keep a large part of your money as a fee for this service. Not everyone may be able to cash a cheque, consider your options before you apply.
  6. Will my address be shared with immigration enforcement?
    • We do not know if the address you provided will be shared with immigration enforcement. You have to make the best decision for you about your own safety. It is important to use an address where you can receive the cheque.
  7. Will my name be shared with immigration enforcement?
    • We do not know if your personal information will be shared with immigration enforcement. You have to make the best decision for you about your own safety. Contact us if you need help.
  8. Where do I find my Social Insurance Number?
    • If you ever had a work permit, study permit, or applied for refugee status in Canada, you would have received a Social Insurance Number (SIN). This is a nine digit number that started with a ‘9’. Even if your SIN has been expired for many years, you can use it to apply for CERB if you meet all other criteria.
  9. How will I pay my taxes in 2021 and will it impact my immigration status?
    • The government expects you to claim CERB on your tax return in 2021.
    • If you have not filed taxes recently or ever, you may want to get help filing your tax return in 2021.

If you are having problems applying for CERB, or need support with your taxes for next year, fill out your information below and we will be in touch with more information.

With or without immigration status, we are all essential workers. We are sustaining this economy, our communities and our families. We deserve income support. But this is just a first step – we also need healthcare, workplace rights, guaranteed protection from immigration enforcement, and permanent resident status. Sign this petition by migrants and for migrants. If you are a migrant or undocumented person who wants to join with others for your rights, contact us: info@migrantrights.ca. 

GET IN TOUCH! If you are a non-permanent resident in Canada, or are stuck outside the country, and are losing income because of COVID-19, fill out this form.  

This form is managed by Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. We want to know your experiences applying. We can answer questions and connect you to local groups if you need support.  All information is confidential. We are a migrant rights organization and will not share information with the government or employers!

New Agri-Food Immigration Pilot Program Does Not Meet Migrant Needs During Pandemic

sign our petition

Canada, May 15, 2020 – Migrant food and farm worker groups from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec are jointly raising the alarm about the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot Program to be launched by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) just now. This program gives unfair and excessive power to employers and excludes workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), which represents the majority of food and farm workers in the country. Most other migrant workers will also be excluded because of harsh qualification criteria. Quebec workers are also excluded. The Migrant Rights Network is calling for permanent resident status for all, without exclusion or employer control to support essential migrant workers. 

“At a time when JBS and Cargill are re-opening without making any changes to ensure worker safety, tying migrant workers’ ability to stay in the country permanently to the goodwill of employers gives employers a dangerous amount of power. Workers will be forced to choose between their health, or even their lives, or a chance at stability and family unity,” says Marco Luciano, Director, Migrante Alberta.

The Agri-Food Immigration program requires applicants to have a “job offer” letter from the employer. This requirement means workers will be reluctant to exercise their right to refuse unsafe work if their future ability to apply for permanent residence hangs in the balance.

JBS Meats has had over 600 cases of COVID-19, and one death, but continues to operate. J.J, a current worker at JBS who is afraid to use his name says, “We are concerned about going back to work. JBS keeps on calling us to go back. We are not sure if the workplace is safe. Our status is Temporary Foreign Worker. We are afraid that we will be terminated and sent back home if we take a leave of absence because of our safety. Or that they might not process our papers – our visa and work permit will expire in October.”

“For 54 years, migrant farm workers have demanded permanent residence status on arrival so that they could access the same rights and protections as other immigrants and citizens. While this new program is a direct result of decades of food and farmworkers courageously speaking out, it sets up impossible requirements that would shut most out”, says Robyn Bunn, from RAMA in Kelowna, BC. “This program is just smoke and mirrors – the government wants to look like it’s taking appropriate action during a pandemic, while in reality almost everyone is excluded.”

The Agri-Food Pilot Program excludes migrants in the SAWP even though these workers make up over 65% of Canada’s migrant agricultural workforce and are essential to the food supply. Many SAWP workers work in Canada eight out of 12 months each year, in many cases for over 20 years at a time but with no path to Permanent Residency. 

“We do hard work in Canada – we work outside in the cold and in the heat – and we can’t apply for anything. Why are we being left out of these opportunities? All migrants deserve landed status on arrival,” says James, father of 3 from Jamaica, a migrant farm worker who has been working in Niagara since 2007.

“The federal government is willing to open borders, charter planes, and give employers $50 million to offset costs of quarantine. Many provinces have created programs to ease the farm labour shortage. Yet migrant farm workers –  essential workers that keep the food system running – are being excluded from permanent residency? It makes no sense,” says Kit Andres, Migrant Workers Alliance – Niagara. “COVID-19 has shown that migrant labour is essential to the Canadian economy.” 

Exclusions also extend to fisheries. “The fisheries industry in the Atlantic Region relies heavily on thousands of migrant workers from around the world. These are essential workers and they should be able to lay permanent roots, access basic rights and protections and reunite with their families – excluding them from this immigration program is a slap in the face to essential workers ensuring we are fed during this pandemic,” says Ann Wheatley, Cooper Institute, Charlottetown. 

The current Agri-Food Immigration Pilot Program excludes most low-waged migrants, who are people of colour, many of them Black men, working in Canada’s farms and factories, showing one more time the structural racism migrants workers have been subjected to for over half a century.

Facts: The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot Program & Migrant Workers

  • Of the 98,495 work permits issued for temporary foreign workers in 2019, 56,850 were agricultural workers. The Agri-Food Pilot Program is restricted to only 2,750 applications per year, about 4.8% of the migrant agricultural workforce.
  • The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot requires migrant workers to pass an English language test at Level 4. No support is provided for migrant workers to study for these tests, which are expensive and inaccessible in rural communities where workers are based. Many workers from the Caribbean, who only speak English, are failing the test. Many migrant workers are able to work and live in Canada, but do not speak English. 
  • The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot requires migrant workers to show Canadian accreditation for high school education. No support is provided for migrant workers to get this accreditation, which is expensive and done by private businesses, and is inaccessible in rural communities. Migrant workers are barred from studying while on a work permit, so cannot gain the accreditation here.
  • The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot requires that workers are engaged in full-time work over the previous 12 months. As a result, all SAWP workers are excluded. Workers in fisheries are also excluded. 
  • The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot requires workers to be working for 12 months immediately before applying – but many workers have lost jobs or seen their hours reduced due to COVID-19. 
  • Migrant workers account for 12 per cent of Canada’s agricultural workforce, according to the Conference Board of Canada.
  • Migrant workers face immense violations of their rights. A recent Toronto Star investigation documented 5,386 workplace related complaints by farmworkers from Mexico in a 9 year period. 

Media Contacts

  • Coordination: Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change
  • Alberta: Marco Luciano, 780-966-5908, Migrante Alberta
  • Atlantic: Ann Wheatley, 902-388-8183, Cooper Institute
  • British Columbia
    • Robyn Bunn, 250-215-1033, RAMA, Kelowna
    • Alexandra Henao, 778-789-5076, Fuerza Migrante, Vancouver
    • Byron Cruz, 604-315-7725, Sanctuary Health
  • Ontario: Kit Andres, 905-324-2840, Migrant Workers Alliance – Niagara
  • Quebec: Viviana Medina, 438 881 9174, Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants

50 Elected Representatives from All Provinces Call on Federal Government to Support Essential Migrant & Undocumented Workers

Ottawa, May 4, 2020 —  50 elected provincial and municipal representatives from each of Canada’s provinces are issuing a statement today calling on the federal government to extend income supports to all migrant and undocumented workers, including those outside the country, in support of a proposal by Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s migrant coalition. In an unprecedented non-partisan effort, 30 MPPs, MLAs and MNAs and 20 Councilors and Mayors are joining together to call for “emergency income supports as well as all other social programs and rights ” for all essential workers regardless of immigration status. See full list of signatories and the statement at www.MigrantRights.ca/RepsLetter.  

“We’re stronger, healthier and safer as a community when we stand together to demand and ensure no one is left behind. This moment calls on us to go all in for all of us,” said Victoria Councillor Sharmarke Dubow, one of the statement signatories. “In a public health crisis, unless we protect everyone, we cannot protect anyone. To leave over a million people without income support makes it impossible to flatten the curve for anyone.”

There are over 1.8 million non-permanent residents in Canada. In addition thousands migrant workers remain outside the country unable to enter because of border closures or health concerns. Many migrants are excluded from emergency income supports because they don’t have a valid Social Insurance Numbers (SIN), or are outside the country despite paying rent or having contracts in Canada. Other migrants are excluded because they did not earn the required amount for CERB. The Canada Emergency Student Benefit explicitly excludes study permit holders. Migrant Rights Network is calling for emergency supports to be extended to people with an invalid SIN, and the issuing of Individual Tax Numbers to workers with no SIN. Migrant Rights Network is also calling for healthcare, worker protections, community supports and permanent resident status for all. 

“My family is expecting a baby any day now, but we do not have the money to pay for healthcare or rent,” says Cesar Paredes, an undocumented father-to-be and construction worker in Toronto who lost his job due to COVID-19. “We live here, we do essential work, we deserve to be treated as human beings and given a chance to make it through the pandemic.”

Cesar is one of thousands of members of organizations that make up the Migrant Rights Network. Karen Cocq, Campaigns Coordinator for Migrant Rights Network adds, “Migrants, our organizations, and now elected representatives from many of the same ridings as the COVID-19 Cabinet Committee are all raising their voices calling for income supports, healthcare, and permanent resident status for migrant and undocumented people. As the conversation turns to reopening the economy, many hundreds of thousands of people are still in abject crisis, facing irreversible changes to their lives because they can’t make rent, or keep up with car or tuition payments – extending emergency supports and permanent resident status to them is a matter of utmost priority.”

“I represent a riding where many migrant workers are engaged in building our economy, I could not, in good conscience, leave them unrepresented, says Kevin Arseneau, MLA for Kent-North in New Brunswick where the provincial government has closed the border to migrant workers. “Migrant and undocumented workers are essential in New Brunswick: they grow our food, take care of children, sick and the elderly, clean homes and hospitals, prepare and deliver food and work in construction. They deserve the same income support as everyone else.“

“Migrant workers are essential workers who keep our economy running and put food on our table. This pandemic has shown us the value of essential workers and that there’s nothing more important than taking care of one another.” added Bhutila Karpoche, MPP Parkdale – High Park in Ontario. 

According to the last census, 42.9% of non-permanent residents are low-income (as compared to 12.5% of non-immigrants, and 17.9% of immigrants). Families left with no income during COVID-19 because of their immigration status are choosing between accessing emergency healthcare, including during births, or paying rent. Laid off migrant farmworkers are homeless, and without food. Racialized, low-waged and migrant workers are forced to move in with abusive employers as their workplaces are closed down or they lose their housing. 

MEDIA CONTACTS

  • National Coordination, interviews with workers, elected reps signatories: Karen Cocq, Migrant Rights Network, 647-970-8464
  • British Columbia: Byron Cruz, 604-315-7725, Sanctuary Health
  • Ontario: Deena Ladd, 416-836-2379, Workers Action Centre
  • Alberta: Marco Luciano, 780-966-5908, Migrante Alberta
  • Manitoba & Saskatchewan: Diwa Marcelino, 204-218-7100, Migrante Manitoba
  • Atlantic Region: Ann Wheatley, 902-388-8183, Cooper Institute
  • Quebec: Joey Calugay, 514-947-3662, Immigrant Workers Centre 

Migrant Rights Network is Canada’s migrant coalition made up of over 50 organizations in eight provinces. See full membership list and MRN’s call for just crisis response here: www.MigrantRights.ca/COVID19. 

Release: Essential Undocumented & Migrant Workers Fear For Their Future, Call for Income Supports

CANADA, April 16, 2020 – In a rare and historic moment, essential undocumented and migrant workers from across Canada and Mexico spoke out today calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to fill the gaps that exclude them from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s only migrant led national body – released a letter outlining solutions to ensure income for 1.8 million migrants in the country. 

Laura Lopez, a mother of two from Vancouver and a member of Sanctuary Health, is one of over half a million people in Canada who are undocumented. She’s calling for CERB to be accessible to people without Social Insurance Numbers. 

“My biggest fear is that we are going to end up on the street, us and our two kids,” she said. “People like us, working in construction or cleaning, we are essential workers. Help in this crisis must be universal.” 

Laura’s story is echoed across the country. Lisa Cheun, a member of Butterfly, is a refugee claimant without a work permit in Toronto who worked at a massage parlour until businesses were shut down this month. 

“I paid more than $4000 in income taxes just in March. But I cannot get the government funding support because I have not obtained my work permit this year. But I have lost my job and have no income. What can I do now?” 

The Social Insurance Numbers of temporary residents expire alongside their work and study permits. A valid SIN is necessary to access the CERB program. 

Alina Przybyl is a Polish student at Toronto’s George Brown College in the Assaulted Women and Children’s Counselling program and a member of Migrant Students United. She applied for a renewal of her study permit three months ago, and is still waiting for it. SIN renewal will take another three months. 

“In a time of a global crisis, when we keep hearing that ‘we are in this together’, but many of us are still facing barriers. We are all affected and we should all be supported, regardless of our immigration status,” added the former restaurant worker, who recently lost her jobs both on and off campus because of COVID-19. 

In order to flatten the curve, everyone needs to follow public health directives. But without income, undocumented and migrant workers are some of the most at risk for losing housing, access to food and healthcare. 

The problem extends beyond Canada’s borders. Tens of thousands of essential migrant agricultural workers are unable or afraid to travel. Lost incomes are throwing families into crisis the world over.

“I have been coming to Canada to work for 17 years. But, because of COVID19, I have not been able to travel to Canada to work. I think it is only fair and that I have a right to receive government support because, like any Canadian worker, I have a Social Insurance Number,” says Gustavo Antonio, a migrant farm worker member of RAMA who works in the Okanagan Valley and is still waiting to travel. 

“In a public health emergency, we cannot protect anyone if we do not protect everyone. Over half a million workers are in a state of abject despair. Immediate comprehensive government action is necessary,” added Syed Hussan, Executive Director, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “Most migrant and undocumented people are essential workers that are caring for all of us, and keeping the economy moving right now. They cannot be allowed to go hungry and die because they don’t have an active Social Insurance Number. We have a solution and are calling on the government to meet with us to ensure migrants get the support they need and status now.” 

Nearly 5,000 people and many national organizations have signed on to Migrant Rights Network’s calls: www.MigrantRights.ca/COVID19. 

###

 

Contact: Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org 

Video of today’s press conference available. 

BACKGROUND

Migrant Rights Network is calling on the Federal Government to meet with migrant-led organizations to create mechanisms to:

  1. Ensure residents without Social Insurance Numbers have access to Canada Emergency Response Benefit through the provision of accessible Individual Tax Numbers where information is not shared with immigration authorities. 
  2. Extend access to CERB for those whose SIN has expired. 
  3. Ensure that Seasonal TFWP and SAWP workers have access to income supports for delays in contracts, both inside and outside the country. 
  4. Ensure that migrant workers who are forced to leave jobs or those that aren’t starting contracts right now are not deemed to have “quit voluntarily” and receive income supports. 
  5. Extend income supports to migrant and undocumented residents who did not earn at least $5,000 in the previous 12 months. 

Migrant Rights Network is Canada’s Migrant Coalition, and includes Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network), Caregivers’ Action Centre, Centre des travailleuses et travailleurs immigrants, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto, Collaborative Network to End Exploitation, Cooper Institute and the Prince Edward Island Action Team for Migrant Workers’ Rights, Durham Region Migrant Solidarity Network, FCJ Refugee House, Fuerza Migrante Vancouver, GABRIELA Ontario, IAVGO Community Legal Clinic, Income Security Advocacy Centre, Migrant Students United, Migrant Worker Solidarity Network – Manitoba, Migrant Workers Alliance – Niagara, Ontario, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, Migrante (Alberta, BC, Canada, Manitoba, Ontario), No One Is Illegal (Toronto, Halifax, London, Vancouver), Migrant Resource Centre Canada, OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, OHIP For All, PCLS Community Legal Clinic, Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture (RAMA), Okanagan region, BC, Sanctuary Health, Solidarity Across Borders, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, UFCW Canada, UNIFOR, Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights, Workers Action Centre and Workers United

 

Press Conference: Essential Undocumented & Migrant Workers Call for Emergency Income Supports During COVID-19

CANADA, April 16, 2020 – Undocumented and migrant workers from across Canada and Mexico are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to fill the gaps that exclude them from Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Essential agricultural and domestic workers, cleaners, construction workers, small business owners, students, and parents are calling for CERB to be made available to those without valid Social Insurance Numbers. At least 1 in 22 people in Canada (over 1.8 million people) are migrants. 

  • WHAT: Online Press Conference for Income Supports for All Essential Workers
  • WHEN: TODAY: 1pm EST, 10am PST, 2pm AST, Thursday, April 16, 2020
  • WHERE: Registration required: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fnHz8altRbKs9dYQIcQFTA 
  • WHO: Laura Lopez (Undocumented mother of 2, Vancouver – Member: Sanctuary Health); Cesar F (Undocumented construction worker, expectant father, Toronto); Alina Przybyl (Migrant student with an expired SIN, Toronto – Member: Migrant Students United ); Gustavo Antonio (Migrant farmworker stranded in Mexico – Member: RAMA); Liliana Trejo (Undocumented temp agency worker, single mother, Montreal – Member: Immigrant Workers Centre); Lisa Cheung (Undocumented massage parlour worker, Toronto – Member: Butterfly); Danilo Dee (Former Temporary Foreign Worker, father of 2, Edmonton – Member: Migrante Alberta); Julie Diesta (Member – Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights); Syed Hussan (Executive Director, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change). 

Media Contact: Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org 

BACKGROUND

  • In order to flatten the curve, everyone needs to follow public health directives. But without income, undocumented and migrant workers are some of the most at risk for losing housing, access to food and healthcare. 
  • Over half a million people in Canada are undocumented, without Social Insurance Numbers (SIN). Many have lost income during COVID-19 and are suffering. 
  • There are 1.3 million study and work permit holders, and refugee claimants in Canada. Their SIN begins with ‘9’ and expires along with their immigration permits. To renew a SIN, immigration permits must be renewed. COVID-19 has created enormous delays in permit processing, and hundreds of thousands of workers are being left without valid permits and SINs. 
  • Migrants and undocumented people are over-represented in essential industries. They work in agriculture, cleaning, in long term care facilities, grocery stores, restaurants, warehouses, domestic work and as truck drivers and delivery workers. 
  • Migrant and undocumented workers pay retail tax on purchases, and property taxes through rent. Most pay income tax, EI and CPP. 
  • 42.9% of non-permanent residents are low-income (as compared to 12.5% of non-immigrants, and 17.9% of immigrants). They are therefore extremely vulnerable to economic crises – a single missed paycheque causes irreversible harm to health, safety, and future life possibilities.
  • Like other low-wage workers, migrant and undocumented workers spend the majority of their income on rent, basic necessities, food and transportation. As such, they play a critical role in sustaining and growing local economies. When income disappears for the poorest, the effects are amplified across the entire economy. 
  • The Migrant Rights Network continues to call for healthcare for all, enhanced worker protections, open work permits and permanent resident status for all, an end to detentions and deportations, expanded community supports for migrants, and justice for Indigenous and racialized people around the world. See our full petition: www.MigrantRights.ca/COVID19. These demands have been endorsed by Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Federation of Students, 350 Canada and more. 

 

###

 

Migrant Rights Network is Canada’s Migrant Coalition, and includes Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network), Caregivers’ Action Centre, Centre des travailleuses et travailleurs immigrants, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto, Collaborative Network to End Exploitation, Cooper Institute and the Prince Edward Island Action Team for Migrant Workers’ Rights, Durham Region Migrant Solidarity Network, FCJ Refugee House, Fuerza Migrante Vancouver, GABRIELA Ontario, IAVGO Community Legal Clinic, Income Security Advocacy Centre, Migrant Students United, Migrant Worker Solidarity Network – Manitoba, Migrant Workers Alliance – Niagara, Ontario, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, Migrante (Alberta, BC, Canada, Manitoba, Ontario), No One Is Illegal (Toronto, Halifax, London, Vancouver), Migrant Resource Centre Canada, OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, OHIP For All, PCLS Community Legal Clinic, Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture (RAMA), Okanagan region, BC, Sanctuary Health, Solidarity Across Borders, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, UFCW Canada, UNIFOR, Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights, Workers Action Centre and Workers United

 

63 Migrant Workers Affected by COVID-19 Due to Government & Employer Negligence!

Cross-Country Migrants Alliance Calls for Monitoring and Enforcement of Employers to Ensure Workers Can Protect their Health, Receive Income and Make Complaints During Quarantine. 

CANADA, April 1, 2020 – The Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s migrant alliance – calls on the federal government to immediately require employers of migrant workers to provide adequate health and safety protections and income to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Already, 75 workers – 63 of them migrant farmworkers – in Kelowna, BC, have been affected as a direct result of substandard housing and working conditions. Tens of thousands of workers are expected to arrive in Canada in the coming days. The federal government has created ‘guidelines’ for employers which have not been made public, and no monitoring and enforcement mechanism has been created. The Migrant Rights Network has sent a detailed letter to the federal government outlining necessary changes and requesting consultation in order to create regulations that ensure worker rights and safety, as part of our broader demands for migrant justice during COVID-19. 

“Unsafe housing and lack of labour and immigration rights has put migrant farm workers at immense risk,” says Byron Cruz from Sanctuary Health in Vancouver. “Already workers in Kelowna have become infected because of lack of enforceable quarantine requirements. We are worried about the lack of plans from the relevant health authorities to provide adequate access to healthcare for migrant workers. Currently, Sanctuary Health is supporting workers who are in quarantine on several farms. Workers have been abandoned by employers and are relying on the support of community groups for food. We demand an immediate audit of the measures taken by farms, and that workers have input on establishing appropriate quarantine requirements that uphold migrant dignity.” 

“In order to avert a human rights crisis, we need swift action to ensure employers are providing adequate quarantine measures – this includes a monitoring and enforcement unit, real penalties for violating standards, and a mechanism for workers to safely file complaints,” added Syed Hussan, Executive Director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “This crisis has made it urgently clear that employer and government negligence to ensure decent housing and working conditions must end. We need national housing standards for migrant workers, and permanent resident status for all migrants, refugees and undocumented people now. We cannot risk having tiered access to health and income supports for people on the basis of immigration status. In a public health crisis, we cannot protect anyone if we do not protect everyone.” 

Download our full letter here. 

Ensuring Migrant Worker Safety During Quarantine Includes: 

  • Enforceable requirements on employers, and a monitoring and enforcement unit to ensure these requirements are met before workers arrive. 
  • Employers must be required to enable self-isolation and quarantining, provide healthcare information in a worker’s language of choice, and connect workers to local public health services. Employers must ensure adequate housing, hygiene products and meals for workers during their quarantine period without deductions. Workers must be paid during quarantine, and income supports provided for workers who haven’t arrived or arrived late. 
  • These requirements must apply from the moment workers depart their home countries, throughout their travel to Canada, and through travel from airports to workplaces. If workers are housed in hotels, these requirements must extend to travel from hotels to workplaces. 
  • A 24-hour accessible telephone hotline and web interface must be established for workers to confidentially and anonymously make complaints about employer non-compliance in their own languages, or by third parties such as migrant worker support organizations. 
  • The enforcement division must do swift, unannounced inspections on employers where complaints have been made, in coordination with local public health officials.
  • All health assessments and follow-up support must be done by public health officials. 
  • Healthcare must be guaranteed in all provinces, without the need for a health card, through emergency changes to the Interim Federal Health program or expanded provincial health transfers. 
  • These requirements must be made available to workers and worker rights organizations in advance of workers travelling to Canada and at the port of entry, with information on how workers can assert their rights and make anonymous complaints, available in appropriate languages. 

Migrant Rights Network – Food & Farm Worker Working Group Organizers are available for comment: 

  • National Coordination, Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. 
  • Sanctuary Health, Vancouver, Byron Cruz, 604-315-7725
  • Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrant-e-s, Montreal, Français seulment, Viviana Medina, 438-881-9174
  • RAMA, Central Okanagan, Amy Cohen, 250-309-5698 or  Robyn Bunn, 250-215-1033
  • Migrant Workers Alliance – Niagara, Kit Andres, 905-324-2840

###

Migrant Rights Network Members: Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network), Caregivers’ Action Centre, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto, Centre des travailleuses et travailleurs immigrants, Collaborative Network to End Exploitation, Cooper Institute/PEI Action Team, Fuerza Migrante Vancouver, Migrant Students United, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change*, Migrante Alberta, Migrante BC, Migrante Canada, Migrante Manitoba, Migrante Ontario, Migrant Workers Alliance – Niagara, No One Is Illegal – Halifax, No One Is Illegal – London, No One Is Illegal – Vancouver, OHIP For All, Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture, Sanctuary Health, Solidarity Across Borders, Vancouver Committee for Domestic Worker and Caregiver Rights, Workers Action Centre. *Migrant Workers Alliance for Change includes Asian Community Aids Services, Durham Region Migrant Solidarity Network, FCJ Refugee House, GABRIELA Ontario, IAVGO Community Legal Clinic, Income Security Advocacy Centre, No One Is Illegal – Toronto, Northumberland Community Legal Centre, OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, PCLS Community Legal Clinic, SALCO Community Legal Clinic, UFCW, UNIFOR and Workers United, as well as a number of organizations listed as separate members. 

Make the Call: Income Supports for All Migrants!

We are in a critical moment! 

On Wednesday, the Federal government approved an emergency fund for workers impacted by the COVID19 crisis. It’s called the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and it replaces the programs announced by the government last week. CERB will give $2000/month to workers who have lost their jobs or income because of COVID19. It will be available in early April and money should start arriving within two weeks of applying.

Now the Prime Minister and other Federal Ministers (Cabinet) will be finalizing the details of how people can access  the program. 

These details are crucial. What you do now can help ensure hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, undocumented people and workers earning cash receive the financial support they so desperately need. 

Name, you need to call Cabinet Ministers and tell them to ensure everyone receives comprehensive income support immediately regardless of immigration status.

Use the form above and we will connect you! Your call WILL make a difference.  

Already our actions are working. On Monday, hundreds of us called Trudeau and  Members of Parliament. Migrant workers across the country – and many from abroad – made the calls too. As a result, the law passed on Wednesday promises income supports for residents, not just ‘Canadians’. The government has said that some migrant workers and students can apply for this fund!

This is a major step forward, but it’s not enough. The government has said it will be asking for Social Insurance Numbers when workers apply for support. This will exclude undocumented people, workers in transition from one kind of permit to another, and workers recently arriving who have not received their SIN yet. The fund will be administered through the Canada Revenue Agency, and this will discourage many people from applying.

We need Cabinet to make rules that ensure everyone, regardless of Social Insurance Number, immigration status, or whether they feel comfortable using the CRA system, can get the supports they need. Yesterday, a majority of migrant groups in Canada sent a letter to Cabinet. Read it here.

Now it’s your turn. Call now! Decisions about how this fund will be administered are being made right now,  so we have no time to lose! Let let your friends, and us, know by tagging @MigrantRightsCA on facebook, twitter or instagram.

Call Now: Income Supports for All!

 


[le français suit // el español sigue]

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th, Canada’s parliament will vote on income supports for workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decisions they make will literally mean life or death for tens of thousands of people who are facing financial ruin. 

This is why today, right this instant, Prime Minister Trudeau, and your Member of Parliament need to hear from you. Pick up the phone, and make two calls right now. Your call will make a difference. Tell them:

ENSURE EVERYONE RECEIVES FULL INCOME SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION OR PREVIOUS WORK STATUS

  • Use the tool above to make calls! 

The government announced last week it would provide income supports, and the actual legislation will be debated tomorrow. The details – exactly who qualifies, for how much, and for how long – will be decided then. Now is the time to ensure that no one is left behind. But you have to act immediately. 

When you call, remind both the Prime Minister and your MP that: 

  • It is agricultural, food, domestic, warehouse, delivery, cleaning, gig and app workers, bus and taxi drivers, health care and other workers who are ensuring that we get our basic needs. It is critical that all of them get income supports. Many of these workers are migrants, and the programs announced could shut them out.
  • Programs announced by the government will not ensure that we get money before rent day, and the amounts promised are very little. We need decent pay for everyone in the country, including migrants arriving and being placed in quarantine, and we need it immediately.
  • Many people do not qualify for Employment Insurance or Canada Revenue Agency managed programs including homeless and undocumented people, migrant workers, unemployed, temporary and precarious workers, disabled people, cash work and more. Right now, we need income supports for all.
  • Remind them everyone needs full access to healthcare and community supports, including housing. And that a real crisis response must mean an end to detentions and deportations, and permanent status for all. Learn more www.MigrantRights.ca/Covid19

We especially urge migrants, undocumented, poor, racialized and working people to make calls. Politicians need to hear from those most affected. But every voice is needed. 

Let your friends, and us, know you called by tagging @MigrantRightsCA on facebook, twitter or instagram. 

Appelez maintenant : l’allocation de revenu pour tout le monde!

Demain, le 24 mars, le Parlement canadien votera sur les mesures d’allocation de revenu pour les travailleurs et travailleuses pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Les décisions que prendront les élu.e.s seront littéralement une question de vie ou de mort pour les milliers de personnes au bord du gouffre financier.  

C’est pourquoi le premier ministre Trudeau et votre député.e doivent aujourd’hui même vous entendre à ce sujet. Nous vous invitons à faire deux appels, immédiatement. Votre appel fera une différence. Dites-leur :

ASSUREZ-VOUS QUE TOUT LE MONDE REÇOIVE IMMÉDIATEMENT UNE ALLOCATION DE REVENU COMPLÈTE, SANS ÉGARD AU STATUT D’IMMIGRATION OU STATUT DE TRAVAIL ANTÉRIEUR

Appelez le premier ministre Justin Trudeau : (613) 992-4211

Appelez votre député.e : https://www.noscommunes.ca/members/fr

Le gouvernement a annoncé la semaine dernière qu’il offrirait des mesures de soutien au revenu, et la législation qui y correspond sera débattue demain. Les détails – qui y aura droit, le montant et la durée des prestations – seront décidés à ce moment. Il est maintenant temps de veiller à ce que personne ne soit oublié. Vous devez agir immédiatement.

Lorsque vous appelez, rappelez au premier ministre et à votre député.e que :

  • Ce sont les travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles, de l’alimentation, de l’entreposage, de la livraison et de l’entretien ménager, les travailleurs et travailleuses à contrat, qui travaillent à partir d’applications, qui conduisent des autobus et des taxis, qui œuvrent dans les soins de santé et bien d’autres encore qui s’assurent de combler nos besoins de base. Il est essentiel que toutes ces personnes reçoivent un soutien au revenu. Bon nombre d’entre elles sont des personnes migrantes, et les programmes annoncés pourraient les exclure.
  • Les programmes annoncés par le gouvernement ne nous permettront pas d’avoir de l’argent à temps pour payer le loyer, et les montants promis sont très peu élevés. Nous avons besoin d’un salaire décent pour l’ensemble des habitant.e.s du pays, y compris les personnes migrantes qui arrivent au pays et sont placées en quarantaine, et nous en avons besoin immédiatement.
  • De nombreuses personnes ne sont pas admissibles à l’assurance-emploi ou aux programmes gérés par l’Agence du revenu du Canada, comme les personnes itinérantes, sans papiers et sans emploi, les travailleurs et travailleuses migrants, temporaires et en situation de précarité, les personnes en situation de handicap, les personnes payées en argent comptant et bien d’autres. En ce moment, nous avons besoin d’un soutien au revenu pour tout le monde.
  • Rappelez-leur que tout le monde a besoin d’un plein accès aux soins de santé et au soutien communautaire, y compris au logement. Une véritable réponse à la crise doit inclure de mettre un terme aux détentions et aux expulsions, et d’accorder un statut permanent à tous et toutes. Pour en savoir plus :  www.MigrantRights.ca/Covid19

Nous incitons particulièrement les personnes migrantes, sans papiers, pauvres, racisées et en emploi à faire des appels. Les politiciens et politiciennes doivent entendre les personnes les plus touchées par la situation actuelle. Chaque voix compte.

Faites-nous savoir et faites savoir à vos ami.e.s que vous avez appelé en taguant @MigrantRightsCA sur facebook, twitter or instagram.

Llama ahora: ¡Apoyo económico para todos!

Mañana, martes 24 de marzo, el Parlamento de Canadá votará sobre programas de apoyo económico para trabajadores y otros afectados por la pandemia COVID-19. Las decisiones que toman significarán literalmente vida o muerte para decenas de miles de personas que enfrentan una ruina financiera.

Es por eso que hoy, en este instante, el Primer Ministro Trudeau y tu Miembro de Parlamento necesitan saber de tí. Haz dos llamadas ahora. Tu llamada hará la diferencia. Díles:

QUE TODOS DEBEN RECIBIR APOYO ECONÓMICO INMEDIATAMENTE, SIN IMPORTAR EL ESTATUS MIGRATORIO O HISTORIAL DE TRABAJO

Llama al Primer Ministro Justin Trudeau: 613-992-4211

Llama a tu miembro de Parlamento: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en

El gobierno anunció la semana pasada apoyos económicos, y la legislación se debatirá mañana. Los detalles – exactamente quién califica, la cantidad de apoyo y por cuánto tiempo – se decidirán entonces. Ahora es el momento de garantizar que nadie se quede atrás. Pero tienes que actuar de inmediato.

Cuando llames, recuérdales tanto al Primer Ministro como a tu MP que:

  • Son los trabajadores agrícolas, de industrias alimenticias, domésticas, de almacén, de repartida, de limpieza, de aplicaciones digitales, conductores de autobuses y taxis, de atención médica y otros trabajadores que nos dejan cubrir nuestras necesidades básicas. Es crítico que todos ellos reciban apoyo económico. Muchos de estos trabajadores son migrantes, y los programas anunciados podrían excluirlos.
  • Los programas anunciados por el gobierno no asegurarán que recibamos dinero antes del 1o de abril cuando se cobra el alquiler, y las cantidades prometidas son muy pequeñas. Necesitamos un sueldo decente para todos en el país, incluidos los migrantes que están por llegar y serán puestos en cuarentena, y lo necesitamos de inmediato.
  • Muchas personas no califican para el Seguro de Empleo (EI) o los programas administrados por la Agencia Tributaria de Canadá (Canada Revenue Agency): personas sin hogar e indocumentados, trabajadores migrantes, desempleados, trabajadores temporales y precarios, personas discapacitadas, gente que se les paga en efectivo y más. En este momento, necesitamos apoyo económico para todos.
  • Recuérdales que todos necesitan acceso completo a servicios de salud y servicios sociales, incluida la vivienda. Y que una respuesta real a la crisis debe significar el fin de las detenciones y deportaciones, y un estatus permanente para todos. Obtenga más información www.MigrantRights.ca/Covid19

Instamos especialmente a los migrantes, indocumentados, pobres, racializados y trabajadores a hacer llamadas. Los políticos necesitan oír de los más afectados. Pero se necesita cada voz.

Avisales a tus amigos y a nosotros que llamaste mencionando a @MigrantRightsCA en Facebook, Twitter o Instagram.

Women lead the way – International Women’ Day 2020

Nearly 10,000 migrant women are working in Canada today, taking care of Canadian families. Migrant women raise children and tend to the sick and elderly.

Migrant women like Winnie Waithira. Winnie has worked in Ontario since September 2014. She worked 60 hour weeks without a break, and sometimes without pay. She still managed to complete all the requirements to apply for permanent residency and reunite with her family. Despite all this, she has been denied permanent residency.

Winnie hasn’t stayed silent. Along with racialized women migrant workers across Canada, she’s part of Landed Status Now – a migrant care worker campaign for immigration and labour rights. They have already won victories, and ensured rights and status for workers facing deportation. But the work isn’t done.

Right now, many Care Workers are fighting unfair language and educational barriers that make it impossible for them to get Permanent Residency. They are calling on the Immigration Minister to change the rules. Add your voice to theirs!

Sign the petition for Landed Status Now!

Migrant care workers in Canada were the first group of migrant workers to get a path to permanent resident status in 1981 as a direct result of Caribbean domestic women’s organizing. Today, again, it is migrant care workers at the forefront of the migrant justice struggle.

Women migrant workers are not just in care work, but also work in farms, factories, retail fisheries, and sex work; they are students, refugees and sometimes undocumented. They all face economic gender-based exploitation. Census data shows that migrant women workers earn just 31 cents for every dollar that a male permanent resident or citizen earns. The situation is not that much better for citizens: racialized women who are citizens in Canada earn 59 cents for every dollar earned by non-racialized men.

Gender inequality is the hidden engine of the economy. For workers to work, they must be fed and clothed; children must be raised; homes cleaned and elders cared for. This mostly unwaged work falls to women. It is this unwaged work that subsidizes the wealthy. It is how the rich get richer – today 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than 4.6 billion people!

The richest few in Canada get richer from on-going colonialism. Central to this plunder is the oil and gas industry that brings with them “man-camps” which increase violence against Indigenous women. This is one of the reasons the Wet’suwet’en in British Columbia are opposing the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline. Thousands of Indigenous women and girls have been murdered or disappeared in Canada – this is a genocide. This is why today on International Women’s Day, we are in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en and call for an end to violence against Indigenous women.

Those at the top push divisions. Today, on International Working Women’s Day we must unite with working women, sex workers, trans women, homeless women, racialized women, and women in the Global South.

Just as care workers lead the migrant justice movement, women also lead environmental struggles, worker rights fights, movements against war and displacement, and more. Today, and every day, we unite under women’s leadership, we fight, we win.

March 8, 2020

2020: We have a plan. Join us.

Nearly 50 people, representing 34 organizations and migrant justice networks from 13 cities, came together in Toronto last weekend to assess our struggles and determine steps to win migrant and racial justice in the year ahead. 

These are our decisions, and we need your support. In 2020, together we will: 

  • Organize migrants and racialized people. We are only as powerful as the numbers of people with us. In 2020, we are expanding our membership at every level. If you are part of a migrant or racial justice organization – we want to hear from you right now! Email info@migrantrights.ca
  • Take to the streets on June 14th! We are calling for actions for racial and migrant justice across the country on June 14th. Save the date! 
  • Fight for migrant & racial justice. We will be escalating our fight for migrant rights under this minority federal government. Campaigns and actions by care workers, farm workers, refugees, undocumented people, migrant students, and others will be launched throughout the year. 
  • Work with Indigenous, Climate & Labour Movements. We only win together. Our members across Canada will connect and collaborate with Indigenous, Climate and Labour movements. We will organize a migrant justice presence at actions such as Labour Day and Earth Day. 
  • Carry out mass political popular education. Changing the world requires understanding it. We will produce digital educational tools and organize trainings so that supporters can become migrant and racial justice champions.

Our convergence was entirely funded by donations from people like you! Make sure we can implement our 2020 plans by becoming a monthly sustainer. Click here to give a monthly contribution of as low as $2 per month. 

Today, 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than 4.6 billion people. Power over the lives of the majority is concentrated in the hands of these very few. Our collapsing climate, the threat of yet another war, and worsening quality of life are a direct result of this concentration of power.  

To continue their hold on our collective resources, the rich minority fuel racism, xenophobia and divisiveness. Today, at least 70.8 million people are displaced, another 258 million live and work away from their homes. Most migrants are low-waged, racialized people exploited in the countries where we try to build new lives.

Here in Canada, temporariness in the immigration system and in work is increasing. Government policies polarize and divide us. We are given different rights on the basis of the places of our birth, the colour of our skin, the accents we have, and the bodies we inhabit. We are denied labour protections, decent healthcare, the ability to change jobs, and to be with our families. We are divided, tricked into fighting each other instead of those responsible for our suffering. 

We reject these categories of migrant, irregular, refugee, undocumented, citizen. We assert our humanity. We fight not just for ourselves, but for all of us, because we all deserve:

  • Status for All: Permanent resident status and family unity for all migrants and refugees here, and landed status on arrival for those that arrive in the future. No detentions, no deportations!
  • Decent Work: $15 minimum wage, full labour rights and no employer specific or time limited work permits, as well as democratic control over work. 
  • Universal Services: Full access to quality public services including healthcare, education, income security, childcare settlement services, pensions, and more for all residents.
  • Justice for All: Indigenous self-determination, gender justice, and an end to racism, particularly anti-Black racism and Islamophobia, and specific policies to end social oppression. 
  • No Displacement: An end to practices that force people to migrate including climate change, wars, corporate impunity and capitalist economic exploitation.

Actions Across Canada Put Forward Anti-Racist Demands Before Federal Elections

Canada – The cross-country alliance Migrant Rights Network is holding Canada-wide actions on June 16 to put forward a pro-migrant and anti-racist agenda in advance of the federal elections. June 16 is International Domestic Workers Day and Father’s Day. Many migrants are unjustly separated from their families, and domestic workers continue to be harmed by federal and provincial laws that deny them full rights and permanent resident status. Ahead of the federal election, migrants and allies are ringing the alarm on the increasing use of racist and xenophobic rhetoric as a vote wining strategy. The Migrant Rights Network is calling on all political parties to committ to status for all, decent work, quality universal public services, end to discrimination, and a stop to policies of displacement.

Cross-Canada Media Contacts:
EN: Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org
FR/ES: Karen Cocq, 647 970 8464, karen@migrantworkersalliance.org

Affiliated rallies / creative actions and marches are planned in:

  • Fredericton – 7pm, June 16, City Hall, Tabatha Armstrong 506.453.4875 (No One Is Illegal Fredericton)
  • Guelph – 12pm, June 16, Mandy Hiscocks, 519.731.4179 (OPIRG Guelph)
  • Halifax – 2pm, June 16, Garrison Grounds, Citadel Hill
  • Kelowna – 12pm, June 16, Dayton Street Overpass over Harvey Avenue. Luis Diaz, 250.826.1551 (RAMA)
  • London – 1pm, June 16, Victoria Park
  • Montreal – 2pm, June 16, Parc Nelson Mandela, Romina Hernandez-Gomez, (514) 560-0673 (Solidarity Across Borders)
  • Ottawa – 2pm, June 16, Dundonald Park – Karen Cocq, 647 970 8464 (Migrant Workers Alliance)
  • Peterborough – 2pm, June 16, Confederation Park
  • Toronto – 2pm, June 16, Grange Park – Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632 (Migrant Worker Alliance)
  • Winnipeg – 1pm, June 15. Canadian Museum for Human Rights
  • Vancouver – For migrant workers only, by invitation. Byron Cruz – (604) 315-7725 and Lorina Serafico – (604) 618-3649

    See full details at www.migrantrights.ca/June16 (more added daily)

Background

#UniteAgainstRacism Demands:

  • STATUS FOR ALL: Permanent resident status and family unity for all migrants and refugees here, and landed status on arrival for those that arrive in the future. No detentions, no deportations!
  • DECENT WORK: $15 minimum wage, full labour rights for all and no employer specific or time limited work permits.
  • UNIVERSAL SERVICES: Full access to quality public services including healthcare, education, income security, childcare, pensions, and more for all residents.
  • NO DISCRIMINATION: Indigenous self-determination, gender justice, and an end to racism, particularly anti-Black racism and Islamophobia.
  • NO DISPLACEMENT: An end to practices and policies further climate change, wars, corporate impunity, dirty mining and economic exploitation which force people to migrate.

New Cross-Canada Network Launches Today to Fight Racism and Xenophobia

National Media Contacts (local contacts listed below):
EN: Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org
FR: Karen Cocq, 647-9708464, karen@migrantworkersalliance.org

Actions today on the International Day for the Elimination of Racism in Montreal (10am, 200 Rene Levesque) Halifax (4:30pm, Halifax Convention Centre), Toronto (5:30pm, City Hall) and Vancouver (6:30pm, 350 West Georgia). Actions in over a dozen cities this week updated here: https://migrantrights.ca/en/march21/

Canada – Actions are taking place in over a dozen cities this week from Halifax to Vancouver as part of the launch of the Migrant Rights Network, a new cross-Canada alliance to demand pro-migrant, anti-racist laws and policies, including permanent residence status for all. The Migrant Rights Network’s formation, in advance of the federal elections, has been given added urgency after the white supremacist attacks in New Zealand that left at least 50 Muslims dead.

“After decades of job loss, wage stagnation and service cuts, people across the country are increasingly worried about the future. Politicians are responding to this fear, not by raising wages or expanding public services, but by demonizing migrants and refugees,” says Syed Hussan from Migrant Workers Alliance for Change in Toronto. “This divisiveness has created a dangerous political environment, and must be stopped.”

Since the Quebec City Mosque shooting in 2017 that left 6 dead and served as a blueprint for the New Zealand shooter, police reported hate crimes have increased by 47% in Canada. At least 300 known white supremacist organizations are currently active across the country.

“CAQ won a majority after campaigning on an anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim platform. We will not allow federal political parties to repeat this disturbing and dangerous strategy,” says Niel La Dode from Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal. “At the end of the day, we all want the same things: decent work, the ability to provide for our families, a life with dignity. The politicians and corporations who deny us these basic rights are the real problem, not migrants, not refugees, not undocumented people.”

Under current immigration policies, 700,000 people, over 70% of migrants who arrive in Canada each year, are shut out from basic services, such as healthcare and education, because of unfair temporary permits. This denial happens despite migrants and refugees paying for public services through municipal, sales and income taxes.

“The social safety net is being pulled away from us while corporations get massive tax cuts. Politicians want us fighting for scraps, and blaming immigrants for their economic mess. We can’t be distracted. We must demand the fundamental changes our communities need,” says Marco Luciano, of Migrante Canada from Edmonton.

The Migrant Rights Network is demanding permanent residence status for everyone, decent work and labour protections, universal access to social services, real gender and racial justice, and respect for indigenous self-determination. In addition, practices of displacement and persecution that force people to migrate including climate change, wars, corporate impunity and economic exploitation, need to be eradicated.

“Indigenous and racialized people suffer at every turn because of the systemic racism reflected in Canadian laws and policies. We do not want piecemeal reforms. It is time for fundamental changes,” says Stacey Gomez from Halifax. “No matter what issue you are concerned about, uniting against racism right now is our most urgent task.”

Women of colour continue to earn far less than white men. Black and Indigenous communities are unfairly targeted by police and imprisonment.

“Decisions made in Canada have directly led to the escalation of the climate crisis, political instability and the global displacement of peoples. We all have a moral responsibility to stop the Canadian government and corporations to continue profiting from unsafe mining, arms exports, and fossil fuel extraction,” says Chris Sorio from Migrante BC in Vancouver. “

Led by grassroots migrant and refugee groups, civil society organizations and labour unions, Migrant Rights Network will counter fake news about Canada’s immigration system and coordinate a national dialogue to create a Platform for Racial and Migrant Justice ahead of the federal election. All social, environmental and labour groups in Canada are invited to participate in this process.

Following the March 21 #UniteAgainstRacism mobilization, actions are also called for May 1, 2019 (International Workers Day); June 16, 2019 (Father’s Day & International Domestic Workers Day); and September 2, 2019 (Labour Day).

Upcoming #UniteAgainstRacism actions. Week of Action March 17 – 24.
More actions are being announced everyday, visit https://migrantrights.ca/en/march21/ for the latest listing.

March 21, 2019

HALIFAX – 4:30pm, Halifax Convention Centre
Stacey Gomez, 902-999-4458

MONTREAL – 10am, 200 Rene Levesque
Niel La Dode, 438-505-4820; Viviana Carol Velazquez, 514-342-2111

TORONTO – 5:30pm, Nathan Phillips Square
Syed Hussan, 416-453-3632

VANCOUVER – 6:30pm, Alma VanDusen Room, 350 West Georgia Street
Chris Perry Sorio, 416-828-0441

March 23, 2019

LETHBRIDGE – 12pm, City Hall

EDMONTON – 6pm, 11834 Kingsway Avenue – Note this event is a fundraiser
Marco Luciano, 780-966-5908

March 24, 2019

MONTREAL – 2pm, Saint-Laurent Station
Safa Chebbi, 438-497-4243

OTTAWA – 2pm, 166 Frank Street
Aimee Beboso, 613-255-1921

Migrant and racial justice organizations are coming together as the Migrant Rights Network to intervene in an increasingly divisive and alarmingly dangerous political environment.

THE MIGRANT RIGHTS NETWORK DEMANDS

STATUS FOR ALL, STATUS NOW: Permanent resident status and family unity for all migrants and refugees here, and landed status on arrival for those that arrive in the future. Replace Caregiver “pilot project” with a Federal Care Workers Program that provides landed status upon entry for Care Workers and their families. No detentions, no deportations!

DECENT WORK: $15 minimum wage, full labour rights and no employer specific or time limited work permits.

UNIVERSAL SERVICES: Full access to quality public services including healthcare, education, income security, childcare settlement services, pensions, and more for all residents.

JUST SOCIETY: Indigenous self-determination, gender justice, and an end to racism, particularly anti-Black racism and Islamophobia.

NO DISPLACEMENT: An end to practices of displacement and persecution that force people to migrate including climate change, wars, corporate impunity and economic exploitation.

Cross Canada Network Launches to Fight Racism and Anti-Immigrant Hysteria in Election Year

Media Contact National (local contacts listed below):
EN: Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org
FR: Karen Cocq, 647-9708464, karen@migrantworkersalliance.org

Cross Canada Network Launches to Fight Racism and Anti-Immigrant Hysteria in Election Year

Canada – New Zealand mosque shooting with 49 murders and counting has given intense urgency in Canada which faced a similar mosque shooting in 2017 in Quebec. With actions planned from Halifax to Vancouver, a new cross-country alliance, the Migrant Rights Network is launching March 21, International Day for the Elimination of Racism, to counter fake news about Canada’s immigration system, and urgently demand pro-immigrant and anti-racist laws. The Migrant Rights Network is led by grassroots migrant and refugee groups, civil society organizations and labour unions. March 21 marks the beginning of a national dialogue to create a Platform for Racial and Migrant Justice ahead of the federal election. All social, environmental and labour groups in Canada are invited to participate in this process.

Following the March 21 #UniteAgainstRacism mobilization, actions are also called for May 1, 2019 (International Workers Day); June 16, 2019 (Father’s Day & International Domestic Workers Day); and September 2, 2019 (Labour Day). More information can be found on www.migrantrights.ca

Initial details and media contacts for #UniteAgainstRacism Week of Action (March 17-24)
More actions being announced everyday at https://migrantrights.ca/en/march21/

March 17, 2019

NIAGARA – 2pm, 1665 Four Mile Creek Rd
Sonia Aviles, 289-990-4519

March 20, 2019

PETERBOROUGH – 6pm, Confederation Park

March 21, 2019

HALIFAX – 4:30pm, Halifax Convention Centre
Stacey Gomez, 902 999 4458

MONTREAL – 10am, 200 Rene Levesque
Niel La Dode, 438-505-4820; Viviana Carol Velazquez, 514-342-2111

TORONTO – 5:30pm, Nathan Phillips Square
Syed Hussan, 416 453 3632

VANCOUVER – 6:30pm, Alma VanDusen Room, 350 West Georgia Street
Chris Perry Sorio, 416-828-0441

March 23, 2019

LETHBRIDGE – 12pm, City Hall

EDMONTON – 6pm, 11834 Kingsway Avenue – Note this event is a fundraiser
Marco Luciano, 780-966-5908

March 24, 2019

MONTREAL – 2pm, Saint-Laurent Station
Safa Chebbi, 438-497-4243

OTTAWA – 2pm, 166 Frank Street
Aimee Beboso, 613-255-1921

BACKGROUND

Migrant and racial justice organizations are coming together as the Migrant Rights Network to intervene in an increasingly divisive and alarmingly dangerous political environment.

n Canada, police reported hate crimes went up 47% in 2017. At least 300 known white supremacist organizations are currently active across the country. Over 70% of the migrants in Canada are denied full access to basic labour or social rights because of unfair temporary permits. Women of colour continue to earn far less than white men. Black and Indigenous communities are unfairly targeted by police and imprisonment. Racialized people are shut out of basic services. Meanwhile, anti-immigrant populist messaging by federal political parties increased dramatically during the recent by-elections. Clearly, Canada is not immune to the racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric which was central to national elections in the United States, and in many countries in Western Europe. Uniting against racism now is the only way forward.

THE MIGRANT RIGHTS NETWORK DEMANDS

STATUS FOR ALL, STATUS NOW: Permanent resident status and family unity for all migrants and refugees here, and landed status on arrival for those that arrive in the future. Replace Caregiver “pilot project” with a Federal Care Workers Program that provides landed status upon entry for Care Workers and their families. No detentions, no deportations!

DECENT WORK: $15 minimum wage, full labour rights and no employer specific or time limited work permits.

UNIVERSAL SERVICES: Full access to quality public services including healthcare, education, income security, childcare settlement services, pensions, and more for all residents.

JUST SOCIETY: Indigenous self-determination, gender justice, and an end to racism, particularly anti-Black racism and Islamophobia.

NO DISPLACEMENT: An end to practices of displacement and persecution that force people to migrate including climate change, wars, corporate impunity and economic exploitation.

Media Release: Migrant Care Workers Speak Out for Status and Fairness

Download our new report at www.LandedStatusNow.ca

CARE WORKERS WILL BE LAUNCHING A NEW REPORT AND THEIR CAMPAIGN AND SHARING THEIR STORIES IN FIVE CITIES

  • Toronto: Nov 18, 11am, Suite 202, 720 Spadina Avenue, 647-782-6633 (Caregivers Action Centre & Caregiver Connections)
  • Vancouver: Nov 18, 10am, BCGEU, 130-2920 Virtual Way, 604-618-3649 (Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregiver Rights)
  • Edmonton: Nov 18, 1pm, CUPE 474 Hall – 10989 124 Street, 780-937-5908 (Alberta Careworkers Association & Migrante Alberta)
  • Montreal: Nov 18, 10am, 4755 Van Horne, Bureau 110, 514-238-0089 (PINAY Quebec)
  • Ottawa: Nov 18, 2:30pm, 251 Bank Street, 613-255-1921 (Migrante Ottawa)

CANADA – Today, migrant Care Workers across Canada are raising their voices together to call for permanent resident status on arrival, dignity and fairness for migrant Care Workers by simultaneously launching a report with personal stories from hundreds of Care Workers across Canada. The Caregiver Program is set to expire in November 2019. Tens of thousands of racialized women who came to Canada with the promise of living in Canada permanently with their families are now in limbo.

“Women like us have been coming to Canada for over a century raising children, taking care of the sick and the elderly, being the backbone of the economy, and yet we are treated like we are expendable,” says Kara Manso, coordinator of the Caregivers Action Centre speaking in Toronto. “We need security, and that means landed status on arrival, family unity and justice for workers already here.”

Care Workers are calling on Canada to replace the broken Caregiver Program with a new program that will end precarious status, forced family separation, and exploitative working conditions while improving access to the critical care that Care Workers give to all Canadians. This requires creating a new permanent immigration stream for migrant Care Workers, and in the interim creating open work permits, removing discriminatory language, educational and medical requirements, and granting permanent residency to workers in the country.

The report, “Care Worker Voices for Landed Status and Fairness”, has been produced by Care Workers and their organizations through surveys, focus groups and interviews. It features over a 150 Care Worker stories which demonstrate the painful impacts of family separation, low-wages, precarious status, and unfair laws and policies on racialized women.

An average of 8,000 new Care Worker permits were issued annually in the last five years – all of whom come on employer specific work permits, without their families and with temporary resident status. Over 95% of Care Workers surveyed reported family separation enforced by the Caregiver Program as having the most significant detrimental impact on their lives.

“Care Workers keep coming to Canada with the promise of eventually getting permanent residency and being reunited with their families, but the program excludes so many and is expiring without any details of what will replace it, promises are being broken,” says Julie Diesta of the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Worker and Caregiver Rights. “This isn’t integrity, it is not ethical, Canada must do better.”

Only 1,955 Care Workers and dependents were granted permanent residency in the first 36 months under the current Caregiver program. This is in stark contrast to the average  10,740 Care Workers and their dependants received permanent resident status every year under the previous Live-In Caregiver program. At least 20,000 Care Workers have applied for permanent residency and are awaiting a decision on their application, others are unable to apply because of new requirements.

“Care Workers do the critical work of raising families, caring for an elderly population and ensuring dignity for those who are sick and disabled, without us the economy doesn’t work, yet we get low wages, long work hours, unsafe housing and constant stress” adds Cynthia Palmaria from Migrante Alberta speaking in Edmonton. “Making these changes won’t just benefit migrants, it will ensure that everyone in Canada is healthy and has a better quality of life.”

“Most people have the ability to change jobs when they have a bad employer, or celebrate their children’s birthday, or sit by their parent’s bedside when they are ill, or be able to take a day off when they are sick, these are basic human rights, and that’s all Care Workers are asking for,” says Evelyn Mondonedo of PINAY Quebec in Montreal. “Care Workers deserve landed status, open work permits, family unity and an end to exclusionary laws.”

The report documents the experiences of workers like Maiko who face unpaid wages. “According to the contract, I work 37.5 hrs per week at $11.40 an hour (back in 2016). But I worked 50 hrs and got no pay for the extra 12.5 hours. I get $1, 275/per month (net).” She worked 12.5 hours per week without pay. That amounts to $815 per month in unpaid wages and overtime premium pay (and $9,781 per year). Our research indicates that most workers are being underpaid at a similar level because of immigration and labour rules.

“Thousands of Care Workers have come to Canada in the last few decades, we have families here, and we vote, all of us are watching closely to see how political parties respond to this looming crisis,” adds Aimee Beboso of Migrante Ottawa. “But more than the political parties, we are hoping for courageous support from everyday people who will join us for justice and fairness for everyone.”

QUOTES FROM THE REPORT

“There are lots of moments of no sleep because we are missing our family; tears because of homesickness. Being separated from your family as a Caregiver adds to the burden that cause depression and guilty feelings of taking care of other people.”

– Martha, Migrant Care Worker

“I’m worried about getting my [permanent residency] application accepted. The government’s caps on new streams makes it harder. And then we have to pass the new language and education tests; I’m worried. I am here since April 2015 and I am still completing my 24 months of work. I have been separated from my family for 10 years already.“

– Maribeth is responsible for 14 family members in the Philippines

“Why do they not give us permanent residency when we come? There is obviously a huge need for workers to care for the elderly. They bring us over to do this important work. But then they delay and delay. By not giving us [permanent residency], they tell employers that we are not worthy. That’s why so many employers do not follow the law and pay us properly.”

– Rosalie, Migrant Care Worker

“It is so hard transferring from one client to another due to the death of my client. I care for people with high medical needs. It is expected that some of them get weaker and die naturally but then I end up being jobless. The immigration department must have some exemption or way of transferring us from one employer to another that doesn’t make us wait for so long and have to start over again and again I am worried that I won’t get my [permanent residency]and my family here.”

– Lisa, a mother of 3 who has been separated from her family for 5 years.

“I work for another family as part-time. They were mostly abusive when it comes to work hours (they made me work more than I am supposed to do). If I’m not done on time because of more work, they added hours but didn’t pay. They will not let me go home. But if I finished work early, they will complain and said I didn’t do my job properly even if I know it’s spotless.”

– Alicia

THE COALITION OF CARE WORKERS ARE DEMANDING:

(1) Federal Care Worker Program

The program is broken and needs fundamental reform. The government should create a new Federal Workers Program for Care Workers that provides landed status upon entry for Care Workers and our families. Care Workers should be able to seek employment in Canada through the national job bank. Employers seeking caregivers can use the job bank to find caregiver employees. This would take away the need for third-party recruiters / job agencies and the thousands of dollars they charge us to get a job.

(2) No one left behind!

Care Workers – like us – who are already in Canada also need fairness, security, and a smooth path to permanent status with our families:

  • Care Workers should able to apply for Permanent Residency (PR) after 1 year of work (or 1,950 hours): Currently we have to work 2 years while 1 year is the standard for most other permanent immigration programs in Canada;
  • All Care Workers must get open work permits, and be able to renew work permits without Labour Market Impact Assessment: Care Workers currently can only work for the employer listed on our permits, which makes it extremely difficult to leave bad bosses or, in the case of elder care, when employers pass away;
  • The new educational requirements should be removed: Care Workers are required to have completed 1-year of Canadian post-secondary equivalent education to apply for PR but we are not allowed to or able to study while working;
  • The English language test prior to PR should be removed: New English language requirements were introduced in the pilot program but no free English classes exist;
  • The new caps that allow only 2,750 PR applications each year in each caregiving stream should be removed: There are over 5,500 Care Workers coming to Canada in the childcare stream each year, the discretionary caps on PR applications means that at least half of us will not be able to apply even after completing all the requirements;
  • Clear the permanent residency backlog: Thousands of Care Workers have been waiting for up to 10 years to reunite with their families because no one’s looking at their application – that’s not fair;
  • Spouses and children should be allowed to join us  with open work and study permits of their own: This is the norm for many other temporary immigration programs and it results in improved health and stronger families rather than years of forced separation;
  • Remove the second medical that is required when applying for permanent residency. This change was sneaked in the pilot project and adds unnecessary financial barriers and delays;
  • Section 38(1)(c) of the IRPA (“Medical Inadmissibility” rules) should repealed because it denies PR to an entire family if even one member of the family has a disability.

Tell Agricultural Ministers: Migrant Workers Deserve Respect & Status

Right now Provincial and Federal Agricultural Ministers are meeting in Vancouver to discuss the future of migrant agricultural labour in Canada. Employers have been urging them to think about the labour shortage – but we have to insist that migrant workers are human beings and deserve respect and dignity! Fill in your information here, and we will email all the Agricultural Ministers letting them know that you are watching.

751 people have already signed this petition.

 

 

Les travailleurs agricoles migrants exclus des consultations gouvernementales secrètes: demande d’obtention d’un statut permanent à l’arrivé

Les consultations sont facilitées par le lobbyiste bien connu des employeurs agricoles Hill & Knowlton Canada

CANADA – Les organisations de travailleurs agricoles migrants du Canada sont indignées par les consultations à huis clos sur les changements dans le volet agricole du Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires qui ont exclu les travailleurs et qui refusent de se concentrer sur les préoccupations des travailleurs. Le gouvernement fédéral a entamé des réunions sur invitation seulement avec les groupes de pression des grandes entreprises à la fin du mois de mai. Les groupes de travailleurs migrants ont été invités tardivement ou pas du tout, malgré les demandes répétées à faire partie des discussions.

« Il serait impensable que le gouvernement fédéral élabore des règlements susceptibles d’influer sur les enjeux concernant les femmes et n’invite pas les femmes à la table, mais il se sent à l’aise d’exclure les travailleurs agricoles migrants et leurs défenseurs des règles et politiques qui influent profondément sur leurs vies. C’est incroyable », affirme Joey Calugay du Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants au Québec. « Les travailleurs migrants méritent une place à la table, et ils veulent le droit à un statut permanent à l’arrivée. »

Les travailleurs migrants du secteur primaire de l’agriculture sont limités à travailler uniquement pour l’employeur indiqué sur leur permis de travail. Ils sont en grande partie autorisés à vivre uniquement dans des logements contrôlés par l’employeur. Dans certaines provinces, ils sont exclus ou soumis à des restrictions en matière de négociation collective et sont souvent exemptés du salaire minimum, des heures supplémentaires et d’autres normes fondamentales d’emploi. Les employeurs sont autorisés à licencier et renvoyer chez eux les travailleurs agricoles migrants s’ils sont blessés ou tombent malades. Les travailleurs paient la plupart des impôts, mais ils n’obtiennent souvent pas l’accès total à l’assurance-emploi, au RPC ou à d’autres droits. C’est pourquoi les organisations de travailleurs agricoles migrants à travers le Canada sont unifiées en demandant le statut de résident permanent à l’arrivée, ainsi que les pleins droits du travail et l’accès aux droits sociaux.

« Le déséquilibre des pouvoirs entre les travailleurs agricoles migrants et les employeurs est bien documenté, et toute réforme significative doit commencer par des conversations avec les travailleurs migrants ainsi que leurs organisations à un moment et à un endroit où les travailleurs peuvent participer, dans une langue avec laquelle ils sont à l’aise, puis avec des garanties qu’il n’y aura pas de représailles de la part des employeurs », ajoute Diwa Marcelino, de Migrante du Manitoba.

Ces consultations, qui incluent des décideurs fédéraux et provinciaux, sont facilitées par Hill and Knowlton Strategies, un cabinet de lobbying qui représente les intérêts des employeurs agricoles partout au Canada. Ceci est un conflit d’intérêts flagrant. En 2017, Hill and Knowlton a exercé 53 pressions auprès d’Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, souvent au nom de différents employeurs et groupes organisations de lobbying d’employeurs.

« Il n’y a pas de travailleurs migrants dans les salles pour ces conversations, ce sont principalement des employeurs et cela est facilité par leurs propres lobbyistes. Comment des changements significatifs qui reflètent les besoins des travailleurs migrants peuvent-ils venir de ce processus? », Demande Syed Hussan de Migrant Workers Alliance for Change de l’Ontario. « Nous demandons au Ministre Hajdu et au Ministre Hussen d’intervenir et de relancer ce processus, cette fois-ci avec l’implication des travailleurs migrants, et de veiller à ce que nous discutions du statut permanent à l’atterrissage comme solution. »

« Les travailleurs migrants cultivent de la nourriture et nourrissent des familles, leurs vies méritent le respect, puis leur travail mérite notre admiration et notre soutien, ce qui doit inclure leur participation aux décisions qui ont une incidence sur leurs vies », a déclaré Byron Cruz de Sanctuary Health à Vancouver, C.-B. « Le problème fondamental du Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires est le manque de droits d’immigrations et du travail, et la première étape pour le corriger est l’accès au statut de résident permanent à l’arrivée ».

DISPONIBLE POUR COMMENTER

  • Joey Calugay, Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants, Québec, 514-947-3662
  • Syed Hussan, Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada, Toronto, 416-453-3632
  • Byron Cruz, Sanctuary Health, Colombie-Britannique, 604-315-7725
  • Andrew Stevens, Migrant Work Saskatchewan & University of Regina, 306-552-9330
  • Diwa Marcelino, Migrante Manitoba, 204-218-7100
  • Robyn Bunn, RAMA, Kelowna, Colombie-Britannique, 250-215-1033

Migrant Agricultural Workers Shut Out from Secretive Government Consultations: Call for Permanent Status on Arrival

Consultations are being facilitated by well-known agricultural employer lobbyist Hill & Knowlton Canada

CANADA – Migrant agricultural worker organizations across Canada are outraged at closed door consultations on changes to the agricultural stream of the temporary foreign worker program which have shut out workers, and which refuse to focus on worker concerns. The federal government began invitation-only meetings with big business lobby groups in late May. Migrant worker groups have either been invited late or not at all, despite repeated requests to be part of the discussions.

“The power imbalance between migrant agricultural workers and employers is well documented, and any meaningful reforms must begin with conversations with migrant workers and their organizations at a time and place where workers can participate, in a language they are comfortable in, and with guarantees that there won’t be employer reprisals,” says Diwa Marcelino of Migrante from Manitoba.

Migrant workers in the primary agriculture stream are restricted to working only for the employer listed on their work permit. They are in large part allowed to only live in employer-controlled housing. In some provinces they are excluded from, or face restrictions on collective bargaining, and are often exempted from minimum wage, overtime hours, and other basic employment standards. Employers are allowed to fire and send migrant agricultural workers home if they are injured or fall sick. Workers pay most taxes but often can’t get full access to EI, CPP or other entitlements. This is why migrant agricultural worker organizations across Canada are unified in calling for permanent residency status on arrival, as well as full labour rights and access to social entitlements.  

“It would be unthinkable for the the federal government to craft regulations that might affect women’s issues and not invite women to the table, but they feel comfortable excluding migrant agricultural workers and their advocates from rules and policies that deeply impact their lives. It’s unbelievable,” says Joey Calugay of the Immigrant Workers Centre in Quebec. “Migrant workers deserve a seat at the table, and they want the right to permanent status upon landing.”

These consultations, which include federal and provincial policy makers, are being facilitated by Hill and Knowlton Strategies, a lobbying firm that has represented the interests of agricultural employers throughout Canada. This is a gross conflict of interest. In 2017, Hill and Knowlton lobbied Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 53 times, often on behalf of different employer and employer lobby organizations.

“There are no migrant workers in the rooms for these conversations, it’s mostly employers and it’s being facilitated by their own lobbyists. How can any meaningful changes that reflect the needs of migrant workers come from this process?” asks Syed Hussan of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change from Ontario. “We are calling on Minister Hajdu and Minister Hussen to step in and restart this process, this time with migrant worker involvement, and ensure that we are discussing permanent status on landing as a solution.”

“Migrant workers grow food, and feed families, their lives deserve respect and their work deserves our admiration and support which must include their involvement in decisions that impact their lives,” said Byron Cruz from Sanctuary Health in Vancouver, BC. “The fundamental problem with the temporary foreign worker program is the lack of immigration and labour rights, and the first step to correcting it is access to permanent residency status on arrival.”

AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT

  • Joey Calugay, Immigration Workers Centre, Quebec, 514-947-3662
  • Syed Hussan, Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada, Toronto, 416-453-3632
  • Byron Cruz, Sanctuary Health, British Columbia, 604-315-7725
  • Andrew Stevens, Migrant Work Saskatchewan & University of Regina, 306-552-9330
  • Diwa Marcelino, Migrante Manitoba, 204-218-7100
  • Robyn Bunn, RAMA, Kelowna, British Columbia, 250-215-1033

Disability, HIV and AIDS, Immigrant Rights Groups Disappointed in Medical Inadmissibility Announcement, Call for Full Repeal of Misguided Law

Toronto, April 16, 2018 – Organizations representing key groups of immigrants excluded from Canada due to medical inadmissibility are very disappointed in today’s announcement by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen for not repealing Section 38(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This section denies permanent residency to an entire family if a member of the family is sick or has a disability and deemed to pose an “excessive demand” on health and social services.

Today’s modest gains are the result of many years of affected people and our organizations calling for an end to these discriminatory laws. Our advocacy resulted in a review by the federal Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in 2017, which ultimately echoed our recommendation for a full repeal. Instead of taking this principled position, the Immigration Minister Hussen today announced only minor tweaks to the existing, and deeply flawed, regime.

Minnister Hussen’s announcement continues to uphold discriminatory medical inadmissibility laws. Today’s changes that promise to increase the cost threshold and amend the definition of social services, if properly implemented, may ensure that many future immigrants living with HIV and some people with disabilities may no longer be excluded. However, the underlying issue remains: people with disabilities continue to be considered as burdens on Canadian society. Today’s announcement  also fails to address retroactive cases, such that all of the applicants currently in Canada who are separated from family members with disabilities remain in limbo. It is important to note that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, which recommended the repeal of the law in late 2017, noted that “savings [from this law] are not known and were not provided to the Committee.” The Government of Canada, while explicitly agreeing with the Standing Committee’s recommendation to repeal this legislation, has failed to bring its policies in line with inclusivity for persons with disabilities and with Canada’s domestic and international human rights obligations.

For comments:

Anna Malla, Coordinator, Caregivers Action Centre, 647-782-6633
James Hicks, National Coordinator, Council of Canadians With Disabilities, 343-291-1118
John Rae, 1st Vice Chair, Council of Canadians With Disabilities, 416-941-1547
Joshua Terry, Communications and Campaigns Officer, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, 416 595-1666 ext. 236
Natalie Drolet, Executive Director, Migrant Workers Centre, 604.669.4482, ext 104.

Visit Your MP: End Medical Inadmissibility Now

As a result of organizing by people with Disabilities and their families, and with your support, in 2017, the Standing Committee for Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) issued a report to Parliament recommending the repeal of the medical inadmissibility regime. The Minister of Immigration, the Honourable Minister Ahmed Hussen, has himself agreed that this policy must be changed. He will be announcing these changes on April 12th. 

Lets make sure that he follows the Committee’s recommendation and repeals the law rather than tweaking it. 

Members of Parliament need to hear from residents in their riding urging them to repeal Section 38(1)(c) of IRPA. It’s your turn to act.

Here’s what to do:

  1. Find the contact of your local MP: http://www.ourcommons.ca/parliamentarians/en/constituencies/FindMP
  2. Email them as soon as possible requesting a meeting.
  3. Follow up with a phone call requesting a meeting.
  4. If you have a meeting confirmed, please let us know at info@migrantrights.ca
  5. At the appointed time, go to the meeting. Make sure to read this memo in advance and leave a copy with the MP
  6. Take a picture with the MP and send it to us at info@migrantrights.ca so we can remind them that they committed to acting on this issue.

Download this TOOLKIT

It includes sample emails to request a meeting, phone scripts, agendas for a meeting and what to say. Please get in touch if you have more questions.

Here’s a backgrounder to share with your MP and for you to be apprised of the facts.

Please download, read, and print.

 

Media Release: Migrant Rights Organizers Insist on Immediate Repeal of Discriminatory Law After Federal Parliamentary Recommendation

Toronto — Caregiver and migrant rights organizations are calling on Federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen to immediately repeal Section 38(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act following a report by the Parliamentary Citizenship and Immigration Committee’s report which called for the repeal. The report also proposed interim measures, but migrant rights organizations insist that interim measures would uphold a fundamentally discriminatory system. More than a thousand people and organizations have signed an Open Letter in support of these demands.

“Denying permanent residency to entire families was never fair or just, thousands of people have suffered under this law already and hundreds of families are waiting to be reunited, there is no time for delay, it is time to repeal Section 38(1)(c)” says Anna Malla of the Caregivers Action Centre. “Caregivers and Disabled people cannot wait for interim measures, the Liberal government must do the right thing, end medical inadmissibility immediately as an interim step to permanent status on arrival.”

The Parliamentary Committee’s report titled, Building an Inclusive Canada: Bringing the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in Step with Modern Values was released following consultations in November. Migrant rights and disability justice groups insist that Disablism was never acceptable, and ending discriminatory laws is not a ‘modern value’.

Section 38(1)(c) reads, “A foreign national is inadmissible on health grounds if their health condition is expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services,” in effect denying an entire family permanent status if any member of the family is sick or disabled. This discriminatory system has been in place since 2002, and an average of 1,000 people, and their families are rejected each year.

BACKGROUND
https://migrantrights.ca/en/613-2/

Signez cette lettre ouverte : Il faut mettre fin à la discrimination contre les personnes handicapées

Mise à jour du 15 novembre – nous avons présenté la lettre appuyée par 47 organisations et plus de 900 noms individuels au comité parlementaire! Continuez de signer cette page car chaque signature est un courriel envoyé aux députés et un rappel que nous sommes vigilants! 

Josarie Danieles est séparée de sa fille Precious Ann depuis sept ans. Sept années pénibles d’anniversaires et de vacances en famille ratées. Sept années à communiquer en touchant un écran au lieu de serrer sa fille dans ses bras.

Josarie est venue au Canada comme aide familiale. Elle a rempli toutes les conditions et aurait dû obtenir le statut de résidente permanente. Mais on le lui refuse parce qu’Immigration Canada croit que sa fille représenterait un « fardeau excessif » pour le système de soins de santé.

Un comité parlementaire fédéral examine la question en ce moment même. Ajoutez votre nom dès maintenant et demandez aux membres du comité de mettre fin aux lois discriminatoires. Chaque fois qu’un nom s’ajoute, la lettre ci-dessous est envoyée par courriel aux députés concernés. 

Les articles discriminatoires 38(1)(a) et 38(1)(c) de la Loi sur l’immigration doivent être immédiatement abrogés. C’est une première étape. Les handicaps ne sont que l’un des motifs en vertu desquels des centaines de milliers de personnes sont obligées de travailler, d’étudier ou de vivre au Canada temporairement ou se voient refuser la résidence permanente. Nous devons revoir entièrement le système d’immigration de manière à accorder la résidence permanente à tous les migrants maintenant et, pour ceux qui arriveront plus tard, dès leur arrivée.

Le temps presse. Faisons-en sorte que Josarie célèbre le prochain anniversaire de naissance de Precious avec elle. Lisez la lettre ci-dessous et signez-la.

Signez cette lettre : Nos vies ne sont PAS un « fardeau excessif »

Il faut retirer l’incapacitisme des règles canadiennes en immigration dès maintenant

L’honorable Ahmed Hussen, c.p., député
Ministre de l’Immigration, des Réfugiés et de la Citoyenneté

Les membres du Comité permanent de la citoyenneté et de l’immigration

À titre de membres et supporters de personnes ayant un handicap, de sourds, de fous, de consommateurs ou survivants psychiatrisés et de communautés qualifiées d’handicapées, nous demandons au gouvernement fédéral de retirer immédiatement la clause relative au « fardeau excessif » et les règlements incapacitistes de la Loi sur l‘immigration et la protection des réfugiés, et d’assurer un traitement équitable aux travailleurs migrants et aux membres de leurs familles qui en subissent les effets.

Même si le premier ministre Justin Trudeau affirme que « nous ne pourrons pas nous arrêter tant et aussi longtemps que les personnes ayant un handicap ne profiteront pas des mêmes opportunités que tout le monde », l’article 38(1)(c) de la Loi sur l’immigration et la protection des réfugiés exclut du Canada les personnes handicapées, y compris les personnes vivant avec le VIH et certaines personnes trans. L’article 38(1)(c) permet de rejeter un demandeur en fournissant la base de ce rejet si le demandeur ou un membre de sa famille pourrait risquer « vraisemblablement … d’entraîner un fardeau excessif pour les services sociaux ou de santé ».

La clause du « fardeau excessif » empêche les personnes ayant un handicap d’immigrer au Canada et permet de refuser la citoyenneté aux personnes qui sont devenues handicapées pendant qu’elles travaillaient au Canada dans le cadre d’un programme fédéral de travail temporaire.

La clause du « fardeau excessif » exclut les migrants et immigrants qui vivent et travaillent au Canada depuis de nombreuses années si eux-mêmes ou une de leurs personnes à charge sont handicapés.

La clause du « fardeau excessif » projette une image uniquement négative des personnes handicapées, en soutenant qu’elles drainent trop de ressources. Cette vision nie les contributions valables qu’apportent les personnes handicapées à la société.

La clause du « fardeau excessif » accroît la vulnérabilité et l’exploitation des travailleurs migrants à faibles salaires qui tombent malades ou se blessent à cause des conditions de travail misérables qu’on leur impose au Canada. On leur refuse le statut de résident permanent parce qu’ils sont blessés ou malades.

Les travailleurs migrants qui sont venus au Canada dans le cadre de programmes fédéraux comme le Programme d’aides familiales (PAF), le Programme des travailleurs agricoles saisonniers (PTAS) ou le Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires (PTET) ne peuvent pas changer de lieu de travail sous peine de perdre leur permis de travail, ce qui veut dire qu’ils ne peuvent pas facilement refuser de faire un travail dangereux et qu’ils doivent risquer de tomber malades ou de se blesser.

Les aides familiales (ce sont en majorité des femmes) sont le seul groupe de travailleuses migrantes à faible salaire qui pourraient obtenir la résidence permanente après une période de travail au Canada. Mais si elles tombent malades ou se blessent pendant la période d’admissibilité, elles peuvent être exclues en vertu de la clause du « fardeau excessif ». Au début, les aides familiales ont obtenu des protections contre cette règle avec la loi « Juana Tejada » en 2010, mais ces garanties ont été annulées en 2014. En outre, la clause du « fardeau excessif » interdit aux aides familiales dont les enfants ou les partenaires sont malades ou handicapés de devenir résidentes permanentes. Le PAF discrimine aussi contre les aides familiales handicapées en exigeant un examen médical avant l’obtention du permis.

La Charte garantit l’égalité devant la loi et le droit à la protection égale et au bénéfice égal de la loi sans discrimination, y compris pour des motifs basés sur un handicap. L’article 38 (1)(c) contrevient spécifiquement à la Charte.

Le Comité permanent de la citoyenneté de la Chambre des communes tient présentement des auditions sur l’inadmissibilité médicale (« fardeau excessif »).

Nous exigeons que le gouvernement canadien :

  1. Retire immédiatement la clause du « fardeau excessif » de l’article 38(1)(c) de la Loi sur l’immigration et la protection des réfugiés.
  2. Accorde immédiatement la résidence permanente à toute personne à qui elle a été refusée pour des motifs de handicap au cours des dix dernières années.

Enfin, nous exigeons que le gouvernement canadien élimine toutes les politiques et tous les règlements incapacitistes et assure un statut d’immigration permanent à tous, y compris la résidence permanente à l’arrivée pour les travailleurs migrants.

 

“Wait and see is not an option, end the discrimination now” insist migrant Caregivers and disability justice advocates

Toronto, November 20, 2017 – As the Federal government prepares to host consultations in Ottawa, migrant caregivers and disability justice advocates spoke out in Toronto today calling for an immediate end to disability discrimination in Canada’s immigration law. More than a thousand people and organizations have signed an Open Letter in support of these demands.

The parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration is examining Section 38(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) today. Section 38(1)(c) reads “A foreign national is inadmissible on health grounds if their health condition is expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services,” in effect denying an entire family permanent status if ​any ​member ​of ​the ​family ​is sick or disabled. This discriminatory system has been in place since 2002, and an average of 1,000 people, and their families are rejected each year.

“We can’t wait any longer, we need an immediate repeal of the discriminatory medical inadmissibility regime, Permanent Residency for all those denied based on this Section in the last ten years, and Permanent Residency upon arrival for all migrant workers” says Caregivers Action Centre member Amalia Loyzaga, mother of three and a recent widow. Ms Loyzaga has been separated from her family for the past ten years because her Permanent Residency is being challenged based solely on her daughter’s autism diagnosis. She is also one of 25,000 Caregivers caught in a backlog.

“I cannot comprehend how inhuman, discriminatory and unjust immigration law is set out for people with disabilities, and why action is still being delayed” adds Loyzaga.

“Section 38 (1)(c) violates basic rights to equality for disabled people, tears apart families, diminishes the invaluable contributions made by disabled people and stigmatizes us,” says prominent disability activist and scholar Dr. Loree Erickson, who has been in Canada for the past 14 years and was recently denied permanent residency.

“I ​felt ​like ​I ​am ​dying ​when ​I ​was ​denied. ​I ​don’t ​know ​what ​to ​do ​and ​where ​to ​go. ​I felt ​so ​hopeless. ​I ​wanted ​to ​scream. My family has been waiting for years, and we can’t wait any longer, we need to be reunited now” adds Josarie Danieles. Ms. Danieles is a member of the Caregivers Action Centre and has been publicly calling for overhaul of the medical inadmissibility regime since 2016.

Ms Danieles has been in Canada since 2010, and completed her requirements for permanent residency in 2014. Her permanent residency application is being challenged because her daughter Precious has been deemed to be an ‘excessive burden to the Canadian health system’.

Caregiver Mercedes Benitez, whose case was in the news recently and is scheduled to speak to Parliament later today, was granted Permanent Residency based on Humanitarian and compassionate grounds last week.

“Getting my file approved means that I won the lottery. But although now I’m approved, I wonder, what about those other cases? So many others are still suffering. Excessive demand should be eliminated because there should not be any more mothers who cry every night or children who are being discriminated based on their disability or health condition.”

The denial of permanent resident status based on disability is just one symptom of a system that fails to protect those who come from other countries to care for children, the sick, and the elderly. “For caregivers, the medical inadmissibility rule magnifies the hardships imposed by what is already a two-tier system where some immigrants come with temporary status and limited rights, while others come as permanent residents. There needs to be one system of rights, and full immigration status on arrival” adds Fay Faraday, a labour and human rights lawyer who has worked with migrant workers for over two decades.

Directly affected migrant mothers, disabled people and advocates are also concerned with the lack of truly democratic consultation in Parliament.

“While all of us applied to participate in these so-called public consultations, only one of us was invited to speak, but we are here speaking today, to say we cannot wait, end discrimination now,” adds Loyzaga.

Source
www.caregiversactioncentre.org

Migrant caregivers and their supporters are calling on the the Federal Government to:

  1. Immediately grant permanent residency to Josarie Danieles, Amalia Loyzaga and their families, as well as other migrants who have been denied permanent residency on disability grounds over the past ten years.
  2. Eliminate Section 38(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which allows for discriminating against people with disabilities.
  3. Grant permanent residency status to migrant workers currently in Canada, including undocumented workers, with specific provisions to allow their families to join them.
  4. Ensure that all migrant workers are allowed to come to Canada with their families, and with permanent residency status, which is the norm for applicants in the Canadian Express Entry system.
  5. Ensure all migrant workers have access to all public services, basic rights and the ability to change jobs through open work permits.

Immigrant Rights Groups Lay Out Agenda for Incoming Ministers

hussenhadjuCanada — Immigrant rights groups across Canada are laying out a pressing agenda for incoming Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen and Employment Minister Patty Hajdu, calling for a transformative turn towards ensuring permanency and mobility for all immigrants. Over 1.2 million people in Canada, the vast majority of immigrants, are on precarious and temporary immigration permits. Many are restricted to a single workplace, and therefore unable to assert their rights. Tapping into this under-utilized economic potential and ensuring that Canada meets its human rights obligations requires opening up work permits, and granting permanent residence both on arrival to incoming migrant workers and to undocumented immigrants and other precarious status migrants already in the country.

“The largest part of the immigration system is undocumented and temporary status migrants, and their precarious status directly impacts employment and the economy. That’s where the Ministers must turn their attention,” says Syed Hussan of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change in Ontario. “We need an overhaul of the system, and not tinkering, and that begins with immediate steps to ensure permanent status for undocumented families and migrant workers in the country.”

Due to ineffective immigration and employment law, all low-wage Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada are stuck working for a single employer. It is difficult, if not impossible, for workers to change jobs even if the job is dangerous, making them sick, or if they are facing abuse.

“Creating an open work permit program for temporary foreign workers should be the first order of business for the incoming Ministers,” says Anna Malla of Caregivers’ Action Centre. “Doing so will ensure that all immigrants in Canada have the same basic mobility rights, and would be a major step in the right direction towards real change.”

Undocumented and temporary status immigrants in Canada who have proven work experiences and community ties in the country, many of whom do not have access to permanent residency, will be forced to eventually leave Canada. This is a massive drain on Canada’s economy as trained and experienced immigrants are pushed out in a revolving door immigration system.

“Permanent status for immigrants already in the country would immediately boost the economy, integrating skilled and established individuals and families who already work to take care of our communities,” added Josie Baker from Cooper Institute in Prince Edward Island. “Permanent status for undocumented and temporary status immigrants is the smart and effective move.”

The Coalition for Migrant Workers Rights Canada (CMWRC) is the representative body of migrant workers in Canada, with membership is six provinces.

Temporary and undocumented immigrants in Canada
Category Numbers^
Undocumented immigrants 500,000
Temporary Foreign Workers* 73,069
International Mobility Program Permit Holders in 2015 176,502
International Students in 2015 353,262
Work permits for humanitarian purposes in 2015* 16,672
Work permit holders who are PR applicants in 2015* 41,813
Work permit holders for study related purposes in 2015* 56,391
In-country refugee claimants in 2015* 16,109
TOTAL 1,233,818
* These numbers are just for entries in 2015. However, many individuals are in the country for multiple more years at a time. So the total number of people present could be much higher. Data for 2016 has not been updated.
^ All numbers, except those on undocumented residents compiled from Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Data: http://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/052642bb-3fd9-4828-b608-c81dff7e539c?_ga=1.261505422.2084657334.1468989248
Undocumented immigrants in Canada were estimated to be 500,000 by the RCMP in its 2007 environmental scan: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/grc-rcmp/PS61-22-2007-eng.pdf

 

MEDIA CONTACTS

  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Pour le français/Québec: Francisco Mootoo, Association des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires — (514) 793-2672
  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-894-4573
  • British Columbia – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association –1-604-669-6452
  • Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-710

 

We won! 4-and-4 repealed! Lets win status for all.

meme-4-and-4Since 2009, migrant worker groups along with you have organized against the 4-and-4 rule, as part of a broader campaign for open work permits and permanent status on landing.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK | SIGN OUR PETITION

The 4-and-4 rule required migrant workers to leave after four years of cumulative employment and banned them from returning for four years. Over 15 cities organized protest and actions in March 2015 as a lead up to the imposition of the 4-and-4 rule which uprooted tens of thousands of migrant workers, and caused mass deportations. Nearly 4,000 people signed petitions. Since October 2015, the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC) has campaigned for the overturn of this rule and permanent status on landing.

While this is an important step, we need more than repealing and tinkering. We need a total overhaul of the system which begins with ensuring permanent status on landing for migrant workers now and a regularization program for workers who stayed and became undocumented.

In yesterday’s announcement, the Federal Government promised to expand ‘pathways to citizenship’. The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC) believes that ‘pathways’ are a euphemism for maintaining unjust temporariness for low-waged and racialized workers. A pathway is a two stage process, where migrant workers must first complete a temporary sentence of abuse and injustice before a few are selected to compete for permanent status. Low-waged and racialized people deemed to be doing ‘low-skilled’ work deserve permanent status on landing, just as much as those deemed to be doing ‘high skilled’ work.

Migrant workers from across Canada called for a repeal of the 4-and-4 rule and most importantly permanent status on landing in the recent review of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program in Ottawa.  

RELEASE: Notorious 4-and-4 rule repealed; migrant workers need permanent status, not tinkering

Feel free to use pictures and background: http://no4and4campaign.tumblr.com/

Canada,  December 14, 2016 – Since April 2011, migrant worker groups have organized against the 4-and-4 rule, as part of a broader campaign for open work permits and permanent status on landing. The 4-and-4 rule required migrant workers to leave after four years of cumulative employment and banned them from returning for four years. Over 15 cities organized protest and actions in March 2015 as a lead up to the imposition of the 4-and-4 rule which uprooted tens of thousands of migrant workers, and caused mass deportations. Nearly 4,000 people signed petitions. Since October 2015, the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC) has campaigned for the overturn of this rule. On December 13th, the notorious 4-and-4 rule was repealed.

“This repeal is a first step which came about because migrant workers and their allies organized against an unjust rule that resulted in thousands of deportations and migrants becoming undocumented,” says Syed Hussan of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “We need permanent status for migrant workers who stayed here undocumented and for those that were uprooted and forced out, for this change to be really meaningful.”

“There were more than thirty of us who reached our 4 year limit and we fought an uphill battle to stay in Quebec and apply for permanent status,” explains Francisco Mootoo of the Temporary Foreign Workers Association. “Many other migrant workers impacted were unable to do so, and it’s essential that all migrant workers get permanent residence upon arrival.”

“Dozens of our members have been forced to become undocumented or leave Canada because of this badly planned, and badly executed law that seems to have been designed by the previous government simply to show that they were being hard on migrant workers,” adds Anna Malla of the Caregivers’ Action Centre. “Repealing and tinkering is not enough. We need a total overhaul of the system which begins with ensuring permanent status on landing for migrant workers now and a regularization program for workers who have become undocumented.”

In yesterday’s announcement, the Federal Government promised to expand ‘pathways to citizenship’. The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC) believes that ‘pathways’ are a euphemism for maintaining unjust temporariness for low-waged and racialized workers. A pathway is a two stage process, where migrant workers must first complete a temporary sentence of abuse and injustice before a few are selected to compete for permanent status. Low-waged and racialized people deemed to be doing ‘low-skilled’ work deserve permanent status on landing, just as much as those deemed to be doing ‘high skilled’ work.

Migrant workers from across Canada called for a repeal of the 4-and-4 rule and most importantly for permanent status on landing in the recent review of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program in Ottawa.  

National Media Contacts

  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Pour le français/Québec: Francisco Mootoo, Association des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires: (514) 793-2672
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705
  • British Columbia – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet, 604-669-6452, West Coast Domestic Workers’ Association
  • Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign –1-647-834-4932
  • Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-710

Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s insistent pour un statut permanent et le respect des lois et normes du travail ainsi que le respect des droits humains en réponse à la révision sur les travailleurs étrangers

Canada, 19 septembre 2016 – La reconnaissance de la nécessité de réformes du Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires du gouvernement fédéral aujourd’hui est le résultat de plusieurs années de lutte où les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s ont fait valoir leurs droits et ont lutté contre la violation de leurs droits humains et du respect des lois et normes du travail. Des membres de la Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s Canada, l’organe représentatif des travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s au Canada, interpellent le ministre McCallum et la ministre Mihychuk afin de légiférer rapidement pour un statut de résidence permanente pour les travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles saisonniers, les aidantes et aidants naturels et les travailleurs et travailleuses étrangers temporaires dans les catégories à bas salaire. CMWRC demande comme mesure provisoire des permis de travail ouvert, la fin des restrictions de l’ère Harper, y compris la règle 4 et 4, et l’enregistrement des recruteurs.

« Pendant trop longtemps, nous avons été traités comme les rouages d’une machine, incapable de changer d’emploi, et le débat a porté sur les profits au lieu d’être sur les gens », a dit Francisco Mottoo, un travailleur étranger temporaire du Québec membre de l’Association des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires qui a parlé en mai devant le Comité permanent étudiant la révision du programme. « Mais nous sommes des êtres humains, nous avons des familles, nous avons des sentiments, et nous sommes privés de nos droits les plus élémentaires. La question fondamentale n’est pas combien de travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s et dans quelles industries, mais quels sont les droits que nous avons. Nous méritons un statut d’immigration permanent dès l’arrivée. Nous méritons d’être avec nos familles, nous méritons le bonheur. »

Tous les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s qui ont été entendu par le comité permanent sont membres d’organismes affiliés à la Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s Canada. Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s ont identifié la nécessité d’un statut permanent dès l’arrivée, des permis de travail ouverts, des réglementations pour les recruteurs, des enquêtes du travail qui sont proactive, et la fin des permis de travail cumulatifs qui sont recommandés dans le rapport d’HUMA aujourd’hui. Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s demandent également de revoir l’admissibilité des aides familiales aux soins de santé et le rapatriement des travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s pour des problèmes de santé, demandes qui ne sont pas abordées dans le rapport. La CMWRC espère que toutes ses recommandations seront rapidement mises en œuvre.

Le rapport est publié alors que des travailleurs et des travailleuses agricoles de Justice for Migrant Workers ont entrepris une marche de plus de 1500 kilomètres de Windsor à Ottawa pour souligner les 50 ans de la création du Programme des travailleurs agricoles saisonniers.

« Le rapport d’aujourd’hui est vague et ses recommandations ne sont pas spécifiques. Nous avons besoin de changements réels. Ils parlent de l’élargissement du programme PTAS, mais cela ne peut se produire sans statut permanent », a dit Gabriel Allahdua, un travailleur agricole, qui est à Guelph aujourd’hui. « Depuis un demi-siècle, nous venons au Canada pour l’agriculture, pour le nettoyage, pour l’emballage et pour la restauration. Il n’y a rien de temporaire dans notre situation et nous méritons un statut permanent. »

Le comité HUMA a recommandé un chemin vers la résidence permanente pour les travailleurs étrangers et les travailleuses étrangères temporaires, mais les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s insistent qu’un « chemin » ne suffit pas.

« Notre travail n’est jamais temporaire. Le travail que nous faisons est permanent. Les aides familiales ont un soi-disant d’accès à une voie menant à la résidence permanente, mais ce n’est pas une voie. C’est un champ de mines qui nous expose à l’exploitation. Nous méritons tous et toutes, les travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s, la résidence permanente à l’arrivée, non pas une situation temporaire à long terme », a expliqué Teta Bayan, aide familiale du Caregivers Action Centre qui n’a pas pu s’exprimer devant le comité. « Nous avons également besoin de la fin du programme des aides familiaux actuel mis en place par le gouvernement précédent qui nous a enlevé notre droit à la résidence permanente. »

###

Transcriptions et enregistrements audio de travailleurs et travailleuses migrant-e-s s’adressant au parlement : https://migrantrights.ca/en/migrant-workers-address-parliament/ 

Observations présentées par diverses organisations demandant la résidence permanente immigration comme statut : https://migrantrights.ca/en/everyone-agrees-policy-recommendations-call-for-permanent-residency-status/

 

  • Pour le français/Québec : Francisco Mootoo, Association des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires – (514) 793-2672

 

  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705
  • British Columbia – Vancouver – Mildred German – Migrante BC –1-604-879-5850
  • Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign –1-647-834-4932
  • Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-710

Migrant Workers call for permanent status and labour and human rights in wake of Temporary Foreign Worker Review

Canada, September 19, 2016 – The Federal government’s acknowledgement of the need for reforms of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program today is a result of years of migrant workers advocating for themselves and fighting against against denial of their human and labour rights. Migrant workers members of Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC), the representative body for migrant workers in Canada, are calling on Minister McCallum and Minister Mihychuk to now swiftly introduce legislation for permanent immigration status for Seasonal Agricultural Workers, Caregivers and Temporary Foreign Workers in low-waged categories. As an interim measure, CMWRC is calling for open work permits, the licensing of recruiters, and an end to Harper era restrictions, including the 4 and 4 rule.

“For too long we have been treated like cogs in the machine, unable to change jobs, and the debate has been about profits over people,” says Francisco Moottoo, a temporary foreign worker from Quebec and member of Association des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires, who spoke to the Standing Committee in May. “But we are human beings, we have families and we have feelings, and we are being denied the most basic of rights. The fundamental question is not how many migrant workers and in what industries, but what rights do we have. We deserve permanent immigration status on landing, we deserve to be able to change our jobs, we deserve to be with our families, we deserve happiness.”

All the migrant workers that participated in this review are members of organizations that make up the CMWRC. Migrant workers identified the need for permanent status on landing, open work permits, recruiter regulation, proactive labour investigations, and an end to the cumulative work permit, which are recommended in the report today. Migrant workers also called for review of medical inadmissibility of Caregivers and repatriation of migrant workers for health concerns, which have not been addressed. CMWRC hopes that all its recommendations are swiftly implemented.

The report comes as agricultural worker members of Justice for Migrant Workers are marching over 1,500 kilometres from Windsor to Ottawa to mark the 50 years since the creation of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program.

“Today’s report is vague and its recommendations are not specific, we need real changes. They are talking about expanding the SAWP program but that can’t happen without permanent status” says Farmworker Gabriel Allahdua who is in Guelph today. “We have been coming to Canada, and growing, harvesting, cleaning, packing and serving food for half a century, there is nothing temporary about us. We deserve permanent status.”

The committee has recommended a path to permanent residency for Temporary Foreign Workers, but migrant workers insist that a ‘path’ is not enough.

“Our job is never temporary, the work we do is permanent. Caregivers have a so-called path to permanent residency, but it’s not a path, it’s a minefield and it’s exposing us to exploitation, all of us migrant workers deserve permanent residence on arrival not long-term temporariness,” says Caregiver Teta Bayan from the Caregivers Action Centre who was forced to miss her turn to speak to the review. “We also need an end to the current Caregiver program introduced by the previous government which took away our right to permanent residency.”

###

  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Pour le français/Quebec: Francisco Mootoo, Association des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires: (514) 793-2672
  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705
  • British Columbia – Vancouver – Mildred German – Migrante BC –1-604-879-5850
  • Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign –1-647-834-4932
  • Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-710

Transcripts and audio recordings of migrant worker addressing Parliament: http://migrantrights.ca/en/migrant-workers-address-parliament/

Submissions by diverse organizations calling for permanent resident immigration status:https://migrantrights.ca/en/everyone-agrees-policy-recommendations-call-for-permanent-residency-status/

Migrant workers shut out of secretive closed door immigration consultations

 

Canada, July 6, 2016 — Migrant worker organizations are ringing alarm bells about closed-door meetings on immigration policy across the country that do not include migrant workers’ concerns. These invitation-only ‘Townhalls’ began last week, while an online consultation form was launched on a government website without much notice Tuesday. Over 50 national organizations have joined the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada, the representative body of migrant workers, in calling for open meetings with migrant workers at a time and place where they can participate, and comprehensive immigration reform to ensure permanent resident status for low-waged, racialized workers.

“Migrant workers are critical to Canada’s economy. However, they are denied basic rights and are unable to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Permanent immigration status for migrant workers is the most pressing change needed in immigration policy in Canada today” says Josie Baker from the Cooper Institute in Prince Edward Island and a member of the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada. “I had to call MPs in my area to find out about the meeting. I was told that one was happening in my town right away. They hadn’t told anyone about it, and migrant workers aren’t invited. Where is the transparency?”

A review of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Caregiver Program was just completed by a parliamentary committee but the final recommendations will not be released until the Fall. Migrant workers are one of the only groups of immigrants that can’t come to Canada with permanent resident status, a change that must be made through the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

“First and foremost, we need to change immigration law to ensure that migrant workers have permanent resident immigration rights like everyone else. These immigration consultations should be a time to ensure real conversation and transparency where Parliamentarians listen to migrant workers where they are and move towards comprehensive reforms, not backroom conversations with a few insiders,” says Marco Luciano from Migrante Canada, based in Edmonton.

Migrant workers recently spoke to Parliamentarians at the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. Audio and transcripts can be found here. Dozens of national organizations have called for permanent immigration status for migrant workers, see some of them here. Migrant worker organizations across the country are available to comment.

Media Contacts

  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-894-4573
  • British Columbia – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association –1-604-669-6452
  • British Columbia – Okanagan – Elise Hjalmarson — RAMA – 250-212-2620.
  • Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign –1-647-834-4932

Migrant Workers address Parliament

Click their names to read the transcript or scroll below to hear audio. Click here to read submissions from diverse organizations supporting migrant worker demands.

• Gabriel Allahdua, Agricultural worker, Justicia for Migrant Workers
• Gina Bahiwal, Agricultural worker, Justicia for Migrant Workers / others
• Ericson Santos De Leon, Caregiver, Migrante
• Francisco Mootoo, Migrant worker, Temporary Foreign Workers Association, Quebec
• Teta Bayan, Member, Caregivers Action Centre
• Pinky Paglingayen, Caregiver
• Claudia Colocho, Migrant worker, United Food and Commercial Workers
AND
• Marcia Lindo-Barrett the cousin of Sheldon Mckenzie, Farmworker who died as a result of workplace injuries

Everyone agrees. Diverse groups call for permanent residency status for migrant workers

From May 11 to June 1, 2016, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities invited written submissions on the future of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. Across the board, most written submissions called for permanent residency status on arrival for all migrant workers. Here are a few of them.

Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada / Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, and endorsed by 16 organizations.

All migrant workers must be able to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents immediately, independently and permanently without depending or relying on the sponsorship or good will of their employers or third party agencies. This program should include migrant workers already in Canada, those that have worked here and left and those arriving in the future. Migrant workers who have been granted permanent residency should get comprehensive settlement services that will ensure their success. Download full submissions here.

Canadian Council for Refugees

The federal government should guarantee the right to all admitted as migrant workers, whatever the category, to apply for permanent residence at the same time as they apply for the work permit. This would move us away from treating newcomers as disposable, as we have been doing by using precarious, temporary labour to fill long-term positions. Download full submissions here.

Inter Pares

Current and future migrant workers should be presented with the option of acquiring permanent residency in Canada immediately, independently and permanently without depending or relying on the sponsorship or good will of their employers or third party agencies. Download full submissions here.

United Food and Commercial Workers

Canada should view the prosperity of migrant workers as an investment in Canada. We should actively support their settlement and nurture their attachment to Canada. Our primary recommendation is that workers have the option to enter Canada as permanent residents. Download full submissions here.

Migrant Worker Solidarity Network

Migrant workers, including Seasonal Agricultural Workers, should be given permanent resident status. Download full submissions here.

Caregivers Action Centre 

The only real and permanent solution is granting these workers permanent resident immigration status on landing – this is our key recommendation. Permanent immigration status on landing does not entail a closure of the temporary foreign workers program or a mass expansion of it. Rather we propose a third way: inclusion and access for low-waged racialized women in care work to Canada with full rights and benefits that can only be secured by permanent resident status. Download full submissions here.

Migrant Worker Rights Canada

Ensure access upon arrival permanent legal status for all migrant workers, and in parallel access to permanent RESIDENT status (associated with public services and access to citizenship), allowing re‐entry in Canada. Download full submissions here.

West Coast Domestic Workers Alliance

All Temporary Foreign Workers should be granted permanent residency immediately upon entry in Canada. Pathways to permanent residency should be provided to all TFWs currently working in Canada. Reinstate guaranteed pathways to permanent residency for caregivers. Download full submissions here.

OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants

Give migrant workers who are here the opportunity to apply for permanent residence, and allow future workers a way become permanent residents. Download full submissions here.

Community Legal Assistance Society

Above all, migrant workers need secure immigration status upon arrival in Canada in order to have equal and meaningful access to legal protections in employment, housing, and human rights. Download full submissions here.

Actions across Canada call for permanent resident status and open work permits for vulnerable workers

May 27, 2016 – Canada — Migrant advocates are calling for immediate permanent resident immigration status for Seasonal Agricultural Workers, Caregivers and Temporary Foreign Workers as a parliamentary committee reviews the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Migrant workers take care of our children, grow our food and build our economy, but remain precarious and vulnerable. These hard working community members are unable to change jobs, assert their rights and are separated from their children and parents by restricting policies.

Media events across Canada

Charlottetown, PEI: May 30, 12pm, Province House – 902-315-2705
Edmonton, AB: May 30, 9:30am, Alberta Legislature – 780-966-5908
Kelowna, BC: May 28, 11am, Kelowna Farmers Market – 250-212-2620
Montreal, QC: Available by phone – (514) 793-2672
Toronto, ON: May 30, 1pm, Southeast corner of Bloor & Spadina – 416-453-3632
Vancouver, BC: May 31, 11:30am, 550 W 6th Avenue – 604-669-6452

Background

The federal government is reviewing the Temporary Foreign Workers Program over six, three hour sessions in a parliamentary committee. Migrant workers have largely been excluded from this process. Only four migrant workers have spoken to the Parliamentarians, and one Caregiver leader was turned away on May 18th. CMWRC is calling for a comprehensive multi-Ministry consultation with migrant workers at a time and place they can attend following the current review.

Download backgrounder here.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
Pour le français/Quebec: Francisco Mootoo, Association des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers temporaires: (514) 793-2672
Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705
British Columbia – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association –1-604-669-6452
British Columbia – Okanagan – Elise Hjalmarson — RAMA – 250-212-2620.
Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign –1-647-834-4932
Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-710

Migrant workers testify on Parliament Hill today, call for permanent immigration status, open work permits, and real reforms

Ottawa, May 16, 2016 – Four migrant workers will testify at the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) today between 4:30pm and 6:30pm calling for permanent immigration status, open work permits and comprehensive reforms. Migrant worker leaders from across Canada are joining them to call for permanent immigration status on landing. The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada which is helping to coordinate these testimonies continues to insist that more needs to be done to ensure migrant worker participation in laws that primarily affect their lives. The hearing can be watched – audio only – as of 3:30pm by clicking here.

Gina Bahiwal, has been a Temporary Foreign Worker in Ontario and BC since 2008 and has worked at a warehouse, Holiday Inn and Mcdonalds. She will testify to HUMA today.

“I think migrant workers should all get permanent status upon arrival because we came here to Canada to work, and our work is skilled work. If you come to Canada and your work is called high-skilled, you get permanent immigration status, why don’t we? In addition, those workers who are being abused on closed work permits, can’t find another job because their work permit is tied to a job. Many workers, vulnerable workers, who worked in Canada for four years are being told to go home, but they have no life to go back to.”

Gabriel Alahuda is a Seasonal Agricultural Worker in Ontario. He will testify to HUMA today.

“A migrant farmworker, named Sheldon Mc Kenzie, died in 2005 in a work related accident – a fact that is news across Canada today. What safety net is available for the young family he’ve left behind after 13 years of service on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program? These questions must be answered. Migrant workers spend years working in a developed country like Canada, where we consistently make our contributions, like all working citizens, only to be denied the benefits which only citizens can access and enjoy. We need rights, we need permanent residency and need it now.”

Francisco Mootoo a temporary foreign worker from Mauritius. He arrived in Quebec in 2012. He will testify to HUMA this week.

“We were lucky, but we had to fight for our right to stay, knowing full well that we have done everything required of us as working people contributing to Canada’s economy here in Quebec.  These immigration policies have to change for the better, reflecting a program that does not seek to exploit the desperation of hardworking people who merely wish to make this country their home. In that light, we fully support the demands of the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada and hope that the HUMA committee seriously listens to our collective voice when reviewing the TFWP.”

Ericson Santos De Leon, Caregiver from Montreal, Quebec who will testify to the committee

“My agency charged me $4,300 placement fee. They said that I had to pay such a high fee because it was harder to place male caregivers. When I got here, I found out that the agency that hired me paid a friend to pretend to be my employer for my papers. For three months, I was stranded. After three months, I was getting desperate so I went to the agency and asked, what was going on? I’ve been waiting for so long. They made me work under the table for a family for a year. After a year, I told them I would report them to the authorities. I said, “you’ve been abusing me. I have a family to support.” They got scared and finally fixed my papers so I was legally employed. What they did was very wrong. They took advantage of me because they know that I wanted to come to Canada.”

Hessed Torres, Temporary Foreign Worker from Vancouver, British Columbia

“As a live-in caregiver, I experienced working between 12-16 hours a days despite my contract stating that I would work 8 hours a day. I also worked beyond the job duties that were stated in my contract. I felt that I needed to stay with my employer despite my working conditions being unjust because I didn’t have mobility to work for a different employer that would treat me fairly. When I asserted my rights, I was terminated. I was left jobless and homeless. I’m very fortunate to be part of MIGRANTE BC because they gave me shelter, a home, a community, and helped to empower me to assert my rights and to talk about my experience as a migrant worker.”

Dhon Mojica, Migrant Worker from Alberta

“Temporary foreign workers like myself are people, we are workers were not rags that can be thrown away when you don’t need us anymore, We were invited to come and many made money off us, we deserve the right to stay in Canada.”

Source
Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada
www.migrantrights.ca

Backgrounder

Please see: https://migrantrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/MigrantWorkers_Backgrounder.pdf

MEDIA CONTACTS

  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign – 1-647-834-4932
  • Pour le français/Quebec: Lucio Castracani – Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrant-e-s, (514) 885-4014
  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • British Columbia – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association – 1-604-669-6452
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705
  • Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-710

Ease EI and Work Permit Rules to Help Alberta Fire Evacuees Get Back to Work

National Migrant Worker Rights Coalition calls for Open Work Permits and Permanent Resident Status

Canada – The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC) is calling for removal of restrictions of hours required for Employment Insurance so that ALL Fort McMurray worker evacuees can have immediate income. CMWRC is also calling on the federal government to issue open work permits or temporary residents permits for temporary foreign workers (TFW) evacuees so that they can get back on their feet and get back to work. A review is currently taking place for EI in Parliament and a review of the TFW program starts on Wednesday, May 11th. CMWRC is calling for open work permits, and permanent resident status for migrant workers in the TFW review. A petition has also been started by CMWRC.

“Many of the 80,000 people who were evacuated now have no income due to no fault of their own, and many may be denied Employment Insurance,” explains Migrante Canada organizer and CMWRC member Marco Luciano based in Edmonton. “Getting Employment Insurance into the hands of all workers – Canadian and migrant – is essential to giving people the support they need.”

Under current laws, workers in Fort McMurray need to have worked 630 hours in the previous 52 weeks to qualify for EI. If they do, they would receive a base rate of 55% of their weekly salary. Many workers will be excluded because they have not accrued this many hours.

“Migrant workers face an additional burden however, which requires immediate action. Under the current broken system, migrant workers can only work for one employer at the one location that is listed on their permits. They are effectively tied to a single workplace, and now likely that workplace has been destroyed by fire” added Luciano. “These migrant workers need open work permits or temporary resident permits immediately so that they can start looking for work and get back on their feet. They have taken huge loans to come work in Canada, they have families to feed just like everyone else, and they need their hands untied so they can get back to work.”

“The tragedy in Alberta highlights the need to address the inconsistencies that exist for migrant workers that should be dealt with in the upcoming review of the TFW process,” says Syed Hussan, from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change in Toronto. “All migrant workers need permanent resident immigration status, open work permits and an end to Harper era laws.”

The Filipino Workers Network is raising funds for the foreign worker evacuees at https://fundrazr.com/b180X9.

###

Backgrounder on TFWP and asks by CMWRC: https://migrantrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/MigrantWorkers_Backgrounder.pdf

Source
www.migrantrights.ca

###

Media Contacts

  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Pour le français/Quebec: Lucio Castracani – Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrant-e-s, (514) 885-4014
  • Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign – 1-647-834-4932
  • British Columbia – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association – 1-604-669-6452
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705
  • Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-710

Online Forum: Turning the Tide – Ending Migrant Worker Exploitation

1pm EST, Thursday, May 5, 2016
On your telephone or your computer
Space is limited, please RSVP below!

For the last ten years, we’ve seen a rise in laws that deny migrant workers basic rights and simultaneously an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment that blames migrant workers for job loss and low-wages. Now, with a new government in Ottawa, we need to work together to turn the tide. We need to ensure permanent immigration status and full rights for all workers.

Join the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada on May 5, 2016 to learn about:

– The upcoming parliamentary review of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program
– Possible changes to the Caregiver Program
– Harvesting Freedom campaign marking 50 years of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program.

This is not a webinar. It will be a brief presentation, followed by a discussion on:

– Building a shared set of demands
– Local actions across the country for migrant worker rights
– Supporting migrant workers in your communities

We will be sharing a toolkit with participants on how to take collective action.

The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC) is the representative body of migrant worker groups in the country with members in six regions. CMWRC is calling for permanent immigration status for migrant workers, including status on landing for incoming workers, open work permits and full access to labour rights and social entitlements. Learn more, and sign the petition.

Organisations des droits des migrantEs partagent une lettre ouverte sur la révision des travailleuses et travailleurs étrangers

 

L’honorable MaryAnn Mihychuk, C.P, députée
Ministre de l’Emploi, du Développement de la main-d’œuvre et du Travail

L’honorable John McCallum, C.P., député
Ministre de l’Immigration, des Réfugiés et de la Citoyenneté

21 mars, 2016

Cher et chère ministre :

La Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs du Canada (CDTTMC), l’organe représentatif des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs dans le pays, répond aux rapports d’une révision de travailleurs étrangers temporaires et travailleuses étrangères temporaires en redélivrant nos appels pour mettre fin à la pratique discriminatoire consistant à lier les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs à des employeurs spécifiques ainsi qu’à faire la transition vers le statut d’immigration permanente à l’arrivée pour tous les travailleurs migrants et toutes les travailleuses migrantes.

Avec une adhésion dans six provinces, la CDTTMC est une coalition de groupes de travailleurs et travailleuses d’un océan à l’autre, visant à améliorer les conditions de travail pour tous les travailleurs et toutes les travailleuses. La CDTTMC croit que la révision du Programme de travailleurs étrangers temporaires doit se traduire par des conditions de vie et de travail améliorées pour les aides familiaux, les travailleurs agricoles saisonniers ou travailleuses agricoles saisonnières ainsi que d’autres travailleurs étrangers temporaires ou travailleuses étrangères temporaires.

Encouragée par les commentaires de la ministre Mihychuk d’assurer la résidence permanente pour les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs, la CDTTMC expose les prochains principes pour aider le gouvernement à concevoir sa révision du Programme de travailleurs étrangers temporaires. Ces principes sont endossés par XX organisations.

Principes pour une révision du Programme de travailleurs étrangers temporaires

Droits humains ainsi que dignité pour les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs doit guider le processus

  • La révision doit fixer comme ses objectifs la garantie des droits de résidence permanente, de réunification familiale, de droits sociaux complets ainsi que de protections au travail pour les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs.
  • Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs cultivent notre nourriture, prennent soins des enfants, malades et personnes âgées, puis réalisent le travail éreintant de bâtir notre économie. La révision devrait célébrer et honorer les contributions des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs.
  • Toute révision doit rejeter le traitement de travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs comme des marchandises pour faire face aux pénuries de main-d’œuvre ou la caractérisation des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs comme externes à la main-d’œuvre Canadienne et ayant donc une incidence sur les possibilités d’emploi pour les travailleurs et travailleuses citoyenNEs ou résidentEs permanentEs.

Es voix des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs doivent être au centre

  • Les représentantEs de travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs doivent avoir leur mot à dire dans le développement de la structure, la portée et l’échéancier de la révision.
  • Les audiences devraient avoir lieu à travers le pays, à des moments et à des endroits où les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs sont en mesure d’assister et de parler librement dans leur propre langue ainsi qu’avec une protection contre des représailles d’un employeur ou d’être cibléE par le renforcement des politiques d’immigration.

La revision devrait être compréhensif

  • Tous les aspects du Programme de travailleurs étrangers temporaires, incluant le Programme de travailleurs agricoles saisonniers, le Programme des aides familiaux résidants ainsi que les travailleurs étrangers temporaires ou travailleuses étrangères temporaires à bas salaires et salaire élevés doivent être pris en compte dans un cadre fondé sur des données probantes.
  • La révision devrait inclure les voix et les intérêts des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs qui ont été forcéEs de devenir sans papiers à la suite de lois de l’immigration et du travail restrictives.
  • Les voix et les intérêts des travailleurs et travailleuses migrant
  • The voices and interests of migrant workers who have returned home, particularly those as a result of sickness and injury should be included.

La révision devrait être située dans le contexte d’immigration historique et actuelle

  • Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs viennent au Canada depuis au moins 1880 lorsque des « travailleurs et travailleuses invitéEs » ChinoisES ont été amenéEs au Canada pour bâtir le chemin de fer entre la Colombie-Britannique et l’Est du Canada. 2016 est le 50e anniversaire du Programme de travailleurs agricoles saisonniers. La révision doit viser à corriger des siècles d’exclusions dans les itérations précédentes du Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires.
  • Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs sont des immigrantEs racialiséEs et à bas salaire. Alors que de nombreux et nombreuses réfugiéEs, résidentEs permanentEs, époux/épouses, parents et grand-parents sont en mesure de venir au Canada avec le statut d’immigration de résidence permanente, les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs ne le sont pas. La révision doit coordonner étroitement avec les politiques d’immigration fédérales pour développer un système d’immigration à pallier unique qui assure la réunification familiale ainsi que le statut permanent pour tous et toutes.

Merci pour votre amiable attention sur cette question.

Sincèrement,

Membres de la Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs du Canada

 

Lettre par les membres de la Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs du Canada

*« Migrant Workers Alliance for Change » inclut:

  • Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (Toronto)
  • Asian Community Aids Services (Ontario)
  • Caregivers Action Centre (Ontario)
  • Fuerza Puwersa (Guelph)
  • Industrial Accident Victims’ Group of Ontario
  • Justicia for Migrant Workers (Ontario, Colombie-Britannique, Mexique)
  • Legal Assistance of Windsor
  • Migrante Ontario
  • No One Is Illegal – Toronto
  • Parkdale Community Legal Services
  • Social Planning Toronto
  • UNIFOR (Canada)
  • South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario
  • United Food and Commercial Workers (Canada)
  • Workers United (Canada)
  • Workers’ Action Centre (Toronto).

Actuellement endossé par (veuillez compléter le formulaire ci-dessus et ajouter votre nom!)

  • AIDS Committee of Durham Region, Ontario
  • Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre
  • British Columbia Federation of Labour Health and Safety Centre, British Columbia
  • BC Government & Service Employees’ Union
  • Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network), Ontario
  • Community Legal Assistance Society, British Columbia
  • Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization (CCESO)
  • Council of Canadians, Canada
  • Council of Canadians, Prince Edward Island
  • Couples for Christ Migrants Program
  • Filipino-Canadian CommUnity of NB Inc.
  • Injured Workers’ Consultants Community Legal Clinic, Ontario
  • Inter Pares
  • Justice Across Borders Hamilton, Ontario
  • Kawartha Ploughshares
  • Mexicanxs Unidxs Por Regularizacion Mur
  • Migrant Worker Health Project, Ontario
  • Migrant Workers Dignity Association, British Columbia
  • Migrante Canada – Manitoba chapter
  • Migrante BC
  • MoveUP, British Columbia
  • Niagara Migrant Workers Interest Group, Ontario
  • Ontario Federation of Labour
  • Philippine Advancement Through Arts and Culture (PATAC)
  • PINAY Quebec
  • PEI Food Security Network
  • People’s Health Movement Canada/Mouvement populaire pour la santé au Canada
  • Refugees Welcome Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • Reproductive Justice NB, New Brunswick
  • Students Against Migrant Exploitation Brock Chapter, Ontario
  • Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape
  • UNIFOR Local 468
  • UNIFOR Local 707
  • Waterloo Region Migrant Workers Interest Group, Ontario
  • West Coast LEAF, British Columbia
  • Windsor Workers’ Education Centre, Ontario

Migrant Rights Organizations Release Open Letter on Temporary Foreign Workers Review

March 21, 2016, International Day for the Elimination of Racism — Today, 25 member organizations of the Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada in six provinces, are jointly releasing an open letter on the upcoming Temporary Foreign Workers Review. The letter, also endorsed by dozens of national, provincial and local human rights, labour and immigration rights organizations, calls on  Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, MaryAnn Mihychuk and Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum to ensure permanent resident status on arrival for migrant workers. Our Open Letter outlines a review process that must centre migrant worker human rights and dignity, leads to comprehensive reforms for Seasonal Agricultural Workers, Caregivers and Temporary Foreign Workers, and corrects historical exclusions faced by migrant workers. Please read the open letter below and add your organization’s name to endorse. 

Open Letter

The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

The Honourable John McCallum, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Dear Ministers:

The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC), the representative body of migrant workers in the country, is responding to reports of a Temporary Foreign Workers Review by re-issuing our calls for an end to the discriminatory practice of tying migrant workers to specific employers and transition towards permanent immigration status upon arrival for all migrant workers.

With membership in six provinces, the CMWRC is a coalition of migrant worker groups from coast to coast to coast, aimed at improving work conditions for all workers. CMWRC believes that the review of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program must result in improved living and working conditions for Caregivers, Seasonal Agricultural Workers and other Temporary Foreign Workers.

Heartened by Minister Mihychuk’s comments about ensuring permanent residency status for migrant workers, CMWRC is outlining the following principles to assist the government to design its review of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. These principles are endorsed by the listed organizations. 

Principles for a Review of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program

Human rights and dignity of migrant workers must guide the process

  • The review must set as its goal the ensuring of permanent residency rights, family reunification, full social entitlements and labour protections for migrant workers.
  • Migrant workers grow our food; take care of children, sick and the elderly and do the backbreaking work of building our economy. The review should celebrate and honour migrant worker contributions.
  • Any review must reject treating migrant workers like commodities to deal with labour shortages or characterizing of migrant workers as external to the Canadian labour force and therefore impacting job opportunities of citizen or permanent resident workers.

Migrant worker voices must be at the centre

  • Migrant worker representatives must have a direct say in the development of the structure, scope and timelines of the review.
  • Hearings should take place across the country, at times and locations that migrant workers are able to attend and speak freely in their own languages, and with protection from employer reprisals or being targeted by immigration enforcement.

The review should be comprehensive

  • All aspects of the temporary foreign workers program, including Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, the Live In Caregiver / Caregiver Program and low-waged and high-waged Temporary Foreign Workers must be considered in an evidence based framework.
  • The review should include the voices and interests of migrant workers that have been forced to become undocumented as a result of restrictive immigration and labour laws.
  • The voices and interests of migrant workers who have left Canada, particularly those as a result of sickness and injury should be included.

The review should be placed in historic and current immigration context

  • Migrant workers have been coming to Canada since at least 1880 when Chinese ‘guest workers’ were brought into Canada to build a railroad between British Columbia and Eastern Canada. 2016 is the 50th anniversary of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. The review must aim at rectifying centuries of exclusions in previous iterations of the temporary foreign worker program.
  • Migrant workers are low-waged and racialized immigrants. While many refugees, permanent residents, spouses, parents and grandparents are able to come to Canada with permanent resident immigration status, migrant workers are not. The review must coordinate closely with federal immigration policies to develop a single tier immigration system that ensures family reunification and permanent status for all.  

Thank you for your kind attention to the matter.

Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada and supporting organizations.

Letter by Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada Members

 *Migrant Workers Alliance for Change includes:

  • Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (Toronto)
  • Asian Community Aids Services (Ontario)
  • Caregivers Action Centre (Ontario)
  • Fuerza Puwersa (Guelph)
  • Industrial Accident Victims’ Group of Ontario
  • Justicia for Migrant Workers (Ontario, BC, Mexico)
  • Legal Assistance of Windsor
  • Migrante Ontario
  • No One Is Illegal – Toronto
  • Parkdale Community Legal Services
  • Social Planning Toronto
  • UNIFOR (Canada)
  • South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario
  • United Food and Commercial Workers (Canada)
  • Workers United (Canada)
  • Workers’ Action Centre (Toronto).

Currently endorsed by (please fill out the form above and add your name!)

  • AIDS Committee of Durham Region, Ontario
  • Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre
  • British Columbia Federation of Labour Health and Safety Centre, British Columbia
  • BC Government & Service Employees’ Union
  • Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network), Ontario
  • Community Legal Assistance Society, British Columbia
  • Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization (CCESO)
  • Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine
  • Council of Canadians
  • Council of Canadians, Ottawa chapter
  • Council of Canadians, Montreal chapter
  • Council of Canadians, Peterborough and Kawarthas
  • Council of Canadians, Prince Edward Island
  • Council of Canadians, Saint John Chapter
  • Council of Canadians, South Niagara Chapter
  • Couples for Christ Migrants Program
  • CUPE Canada
  • Emergency Support Committee for Refugees
  • Filipino-Canadian CommUnity of NB Inc.
  • Injured Workers’ Consultants Community Legal Clinic, Ontario
  • Inter Pares
  • Justice Across Borders Hamilton, Ontario
  • Kawartha Ploughshares
  • Mexicanxs Unidxs Por Regularizacion Mur
  • Migrant Worker Health Project, Ontario
  • Migrant Workers Dignity Association, British Columbia
  • Migrante Canada – Manitoba chapter
  • Migrante BC
  • MoveUP, British Columbia
  • Niagara Migrant Workers Interest Group, Ontario
  • North Park Presbyterian Church
  • Ontario Federation of Labour
  • Philippine Advancement Through Arts and Culture (PATAC)
  • PINAY Quebec
  • PEI Food Security Network
  • People’s Health Movement Canada/Mouvement populaire pour la santé au Canada
  • Refugees Welcome Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • Reproductive Justice NB, New Brunswick
  • Students Against Migrant Exploitation Brock Chapter, Ontario
  • Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape
  • UNIFOR Local 468
  • UNIFOR Local 707
  • Waterloo Regional Labour Council
  • Waterloo Region Migrant Workers Interest Group, Ontario
  • West Coast LEAF, British Columbia
  • Windsor Workers’ Education Centre, Ontario

National Migrant Worker Rights Coalition Calls for Comprehensive Changes in Foreign Worker Program Review

Canada, February 24, 2016 — The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC), the representative body of migrant workers in the country is calling for an end to the discriminatory practice of tying migrant workers to specific employers and transition towards permanent immigration status upon arrival for all migrant workers. With membership in six provinces, the CMWRC is a coalition of organizations representing Canadian born and migrant worker groups from coast to coast to coast, aimed at improving work conditions for all workers. CMWRC believes that the review of the program must result in improved living and working conditions for Caregivers, Seasonal Agricultural Workers and other low-wage Temporary Foreign Workers that make up the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.`

“Under the previous government, we saw a $1,000 processing fees imposed on employers which was sometimes downloaded to the workers themselves; a restriction of four years for workers to stay here; and many exclusions on migrant worker permits which made it so that workers couldn’t leave bad jobs,” says Marco Luciano from Migrante Canada which represents migrant workers in Alberta. “Any review of the Foreign Worker Program should end these exclusions and move towards open work permits and ensure permanent status on landing.”

Under current laws, work sites with over 10 workers are subject to progressive “caps” on the percentage of migrant workers in their total workforce each year, from 30%, to 20%, to 10% in July 2016. Migrant workers as a result are forced out of jobs they have held for years. No new permits are being issued in food, retail and accommodation sector regions with unemployment greater than 6%, this has effectively locked workers already here in to their jobs greatly increasing the chances of exploitation.

“Atlantic Canada has a seasonal economy, and seasonal industry has come to depend on migrant workers to keep things running,” says Josie Baker of the Cooper Institute who works with migrant workers in Prince Edward Island. “We need to re-build our rural communities, but we have to face the reality that thousands of our neighbours are captive workers tied to a single employer, unable to re-unite with their families. We need to ensure that migrant workers have the same rights as everyone else.”

“Migrant workers are still being talked about as if they were an endless commodity Canada can bring in and send away whenever they feel like. There is no mention about the human and labor rights abuses this program gave way to, and the only issue that seems to be a problem is whether Canada has enough of this “product” or not,” says Enrique Illanes from the Immigrant Workers Centre that supports migrant workers in Quebec. “We need to shift the discussion to how to reformulate a program that leaves many workers unprotected and exposed, as well as ensuring labor and human rights for all workers in Canada.”

“For the last 50 years, the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) has brought tens of thousands of migrant workers from the Caribbean and Mexico annually to work in fields across Canada. These workers who risk life and limb in often unsafe work conditions to put food on the table,” says Chris Ramsaroop of Justicia for Migrant Workers that supports agricultural workers in Ontario. “This government has the opportunity to end half a century of injustice, and ensure permanent immigration status on landing for agricultural workers.”

“Migrant caregivers take care of children, the sick and the elderly, they safeguard our future and do critical work that benefits Canadian families and the Canadian economy. Their right to apply for permanent residence was taken away by the previous government and replaced by a quota that restricts their ability to stay. Tied work permits make it nearly impossible for Caregivers to switch jobs if they are in exploitative employment situations,” says Natalie Drolet of the West Coast Domestic Workers Association which serves Caregivers in British Columbia. “Caregivers should be able to switch jobs like other workers in Canada, and have open work permits immediately, as well as permanent immigration status on landing.”

“Here in Manitoba, we have seen that strong regulatory protections against recruiters, and providing decent healthcare and labour protections results in better work for everyone,” says Diwa Marcelino with Migrante in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “Now it is time for the Federal Government to keep its end of the bargain, and extend Federal protections.”

###

Source
Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada
www.migrantrights.ca

Migrant worker rights groups are available for comment across Canada

  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Pour le français/Quebec: Enrique Llanes – Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrant-e-s, (514) 546-9382 – attetquebec@gmail.com
  • Agricultural Workers / Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign – 1-647-834-4932
  • Caregivers / British Columbia – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association – 1-604-669-6452
  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • Atlantic Canada – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705
  • Prairies – Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-7100

Coalition nationale pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes appelle à des changements compréhensifs dans la révision du Programme de travailleurs étrangers.

Canada, 24 février 2016 – La Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes du Canada (CDTTMC), l’organe représentatif des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes du pays demandent de mettre fin à la pratique discriminatoire de lier des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes à des employeurs spécifiques et à faire la transition vers le statut d’immigration permanent à l’arrivée pour tous les travailleurs migrants et toutes les travailleuses migrantes. Avec une adhésion dans six provinces, la CDTTMC est une coalition d’organisations représentant des groupes de travailleurs et travailleuses Canadiennes nées et migrantes d’un océan à un autre, visant à améliorer les conditions de travail pour tous les travailleurs et toutes les travailleuses. La CDTTMC croit que la révision du programme doit se traduire par une amélioration des conditions de vie et des conditions de travail pour les Travailleurs agricoles saisonniers ainsi que d’autres travailleurs étrangers temporaires et travailleurs étrangères temporaires à bas salaires tels que les travailleurs et travailleuses domestiques qui relèvent du Programme de travailleurs étrangers temporaires.

« Sous le gouvernement précédent, nous avons vu des frais de traitement de 1,000$ imposés aux employeurs qui étaient parfois surimposé aux travailleurs ou travailleuses même; une limite de quatre années aux travailleurs et travailleuses pour rester ici; ainsi que plusieurs exclusions aux permis des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes qui fait en sorte que les travailleurs et travailleuses ne peuvent pas quitter de mauvais emplois », dit Marco Luciano de Migrante Canada qui représente les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes en Alberta. « Tout révision du Programme de travailleurs étrangers temporaires devrait mettre fin à ces exclusions et devrait progresser vers des permis de travail ouverts ainsi que d’assurer un statut de résidence permanente à l’arrivée ».

Sous les lois actuelles, les lieux de travail avec plus de 10 travailleurs et travailleuses sont assujettis à des « caps » progressif sur le pourcentage de travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes dans leur main d’œuvre totale chaque année, de 30%, à 20%, à 10% en juillet 2016. Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes sont par conséquent forcées de quitter des emplois qu’ils et elles ont occupées pendant plusieurs années. Aucuns nouveaux emplois ne sont pas émis dans les secteurs alimentaires, de vente au détail ou d’hébergement de régions avec un taux de chômage plus élevé que 6%. Ceci a efficacement confiné les travailleurs et travailleuses déjà ici dans leurs emplois, ce qui augmente considérablement les chances d’exploitations.

« La Canada Atlantique à une économie saisonnière et une industrie saisonnière qui est venu à dépendre des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes pour que tout fonctionne », dit Josie Baker de Cooper Institute qui travaille avec les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes à l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard. « Nous devons reconstruire nos communautés rurales, mais nous devons faire face à la réalité que des milliers de nos voisines sont des travailleurs captifs et travailleuses captives qui sont attachées à un seul employeur, incapable de se réunir à leurs familles. Nous devons assurer que les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes aient le même droit que tous et toutes les autres ».

« Les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes sont encore adressées comme s’iles étaient une commodité infinie que le Canada peut amener et renvoyer n’importe quand. Il n’y a aucune mention des abus des droits humains et des droits du travail auxquels ce programme a donné lieu et la seule question qui semble être une problématique est si le Canada a assez de ce « produit » ou non », dit Enrique Llanes du Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrantes qui appuie les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes au Québec. « Nous avons besoin de déplacer la discussion vers comment reformuler le Programme qui laisse plusieurs travailleurs et travailleuses non-protégées ainsi qu’exposées et pour assurer les droits du travail ainsi que les droits humains pour tous les travailleurs et toutes les travailleuses au Canada ».

« Pour les dernières 50 années, le Programme des travailleurs agricoles saisonniers (PTAS) a amené une dizaine de milliers de travailleurs et travailleuses des Caraïbes ainsi que du Mexique annuellement pour travailler sur des champs à travers le Canada. Ces travailleurs et travailleuses qui risque sa vie et ses corps dans des conditions de travail, souvent non-sécuritaires, pour mettre de la nourriture sur leur table », dit Chris Ramsaroop de Justicia for Migrant Workers qui appuie les travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles en Ontario. « Ce gouvernement a l’opportunité de mettre fin à un demi-siècle d’injustice et pour assurer le statut d’immigration permanent à l’arrivée pour les travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles ».

« Les travailleurs et travailleuses domestiques migrantes prennent soin des enfants, des malades ainsi que des personnes âgées puis ils et elles garantissent notre futur, mais ils ont été enlevées et remplacées par un quota et nous avons vu qu’il est encore plus difficile de prendre soin de notre passé », dit Natalie Drolet de la West Coast Domestic Workers Association qui aide les travailleurs et travailleuses domestique en Colombie-Britannique. « Les travailleurs et travailleuses domestiques devraient être en mesure de changer d’employeur, d’avoir des permis de travail ouvert immédiatement ainsi que d’avoir le statut d’immigration permanent à l’arrivée ».

« Ici, au Manitoba, nous avons vu que de fortes régulations protectrices contre les recruteurs ainsi que d’offrir des soins de santé décents et des protections au milieu de travail résulte en de meilleures conditions pour tous et toutes », dit Diwa Marcelino avec Migrant Manitoba et le Migrant Worker Solidarity Network à Manitoba. « Maintenant, il est temps que le gouvernement fédéral maintienne sa part de l’entente et étend les protections fédérales ».

Source
Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes du Canada
www.migrantrights.ca

Les groups de travailleurs et travailleuses migrantes disponibles pour commenter à travers le Canada

  • Pour le français/Québec: Enrique Llanes – Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrantEs, (514) 546-9382 – attetquebec@gmail.com
  • Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632
  • Travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles / Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign – 1-647-834-4932
  • Travailleurs et travailleuses domestiques / Colombie-Britannique – Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association –1-604-669-6452
  • Alberta – Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908
  • Canada Atlantique – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705

Les voix des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantES doivent être au centre pour réviser le Programme des travailleurs étrangers

Permis de travail ouvert, réunification familiale et statut d’immigration permanent à l’arrivée pour les travailleurs agricoles saisonniers et travailleuses agricoles saisonnières, travailleurs et travailleuses domestiques ainsi que les travailleurs étrangers temporaires et travailleuses étrangères temporaires demeurent des priorités.

Canada – La Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs (CDTTMC), l’alliance représentative des groupes de travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs à travers le pays, répond à la déclaration de la ministre Mihychuk dans les médias traditionnels au courant au sujet de la révision à venir du Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires en appelant à davantage de détails, incluant des délais, la participation de travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs ainsi qu’une portée de la révision. Les militantEs des droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs ont demandé à la mobilité, la voix et l’égalité pour les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs, incluant des permis de travail ouvert; une fin aux régulations discriminatoires de l’étude d’impact sur le marché du travail (EIMT) comme la règle 4 ans maximum dans le Programme des travailleurs étrangers temporaires ; ainsi que le statut d’immigration permanent à l’arrivée.

« En tant que pays, nous devons honorer et célébrer les travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs à bas salaires et racialiséEs pour nourrir nos familles; prendre soin de nos enfants, des malades et des personnes agéEs; ainsi que pour faire le travail éreintant pour bâtir notre économie » dit Syed Hussan de la CDTTMC.

« Les voix des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs doivent être au centre de la révision pour démontrer aux CanadienNEs l’importance critique des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs ainsi que le besoin d’assurer qu’ils et elles aient leurs pleins droits et le statut d’immigration permanent comme tous et toutes les autres qui travaillent ici ».

Les groupes de travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs sont disponibles pour commenter à travers le Canada

Pour le français
Enrique Llanes – Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrantEs, (514) 546-9382 – attetquebec@gmail.com

Pour les impacts sur les travailleurs et travailleuses agricoles
Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Campagne Harvesting Freedom – 1-647-834-4932

Pour les impacts sur les travailleurs et travailleuses domestiques
Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association – 1-604-669-6452

Pour les impacts sur les travailleurs étrangers temporaires et travailleuses étrangères temporaires en Alberta
Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908

Pour les impacts dans le Canada atlantique
Charlottetown – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705

Pour les impacts dans les Prairies
Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-7100

Pour plus sur la Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs (CDTTMC) et l’Ontario
Toronto – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632

###

Source
La Coalition pour les droits des travailleurs et travailleuses migrantEs (CDTTMC)
www.migrantrights.ca

Migrant Worker Voices Must be Central to Review of Foreign Worker Program

Open work permits, family reunification and permanent immigration status on landing for Seasonal Agricultural Workers, Caregivers and Temporary Foreign Workers remain priorities.

Canada, February 18, 2016 – The Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada (CMWRC), the representative alliance of migrant worker groups across the country, is responding to Minister Mihychuk’s statements in the mainstream media about forthcoming review of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program by calling for further details, including timelines, migrant worker involvement and scope of the review. Migrant worker advocates have been calling for Mobility, Voice and Equality for Migrant Workers, including open work permits; an end to discriminatory Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) regulations like the 4 in and 4 out rule; and permanent immigration status on landing.

“As a country, we need to honour and celebrate low-waged, and racialized migrant workers for feeding our families; taking care of children, the sick and the elderly; and doing backbreaking work to build our economy,” says Syed Hussan of the CMWRC. “Migrant worker voices must be central to the review to show Canadians the critical importance of migrant workers, and the need to ensure that they have full rights, and permanent immigration status just like everyone else who works here.”

Migrant worker rights groups are available for comment across Canada

Pour le français
Enrique Llanes – Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrant-e-s, (514) 546-9382 – attetquebec@gmail.com

For impact on Agricultural Workers
Ontario – Chris Ramsaroop – Justicia for Migrant Workers / Harvesting Freedom Campaign – 1-647-834-4932

For impacts on Caregivers
Vancouver – Natalie Drolet – West Coast Domestic Workers Association – 1-604-669-6452

For impacts in Alberta
Edmonton – Marco Luciano – Migrante Canada – 1-780-966-5908

For impacts in Atlantic Canada
Charlottetown – Josie Baker – Cooper Institute- 1-902-315-2705

For impacts in Prairies
Manitoba – Diwa Marcelino – Migrante Canada – 204-218-7100

For more on Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights Canada and Ontario
Toronto – Syed Hussan – Migrant Workers Alliance for Change – 1-416-453-3632

International Migrants Day: Let us MOVE together for Justice

migration-is-beautifulThe whole world celebrates International Migrants Day today. 25 years ago, on December 18, 1990, the United Nations General Assembly signed and adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Today, exactly 25 years later Canada, an active recruiter of migrant workers, has still not signed this covenant. As of 2013, there were over 176, 613 temporary foreign workers; 284, 050 international mobility program workers, and hundreds of thousands of migrants on other work permits living and working here precariously. On this day, and every day, we call upon the new Federal government to address the core issues that migrant workers face. It is time for Mobility, Voice and Equality for Migrant Workers.

Sign the Petition! Let’s work together to ensure justice

We are the Coalition for Migrant Workers Rights – Canada (CMWRC), a historic coalition of organizations representing Canadian born and migrant worker groups from coast to coast to coast. We are calling on the Federal government to end the discriminatory practice of tying migrant workers to specific employers and transition towards permanent immigration status upon arrival for migrant workers.

We are calling on groups and organizations to unite together to ensure decent work, and permanent immigration status on landing for migrant workers as it is the only way to ensure decent work and decent lives for all, and stop the rush towards fewer rights and protections. If your organization supports our demands, get in touch with us.

Migrant workers, many of them deemed low-skilled, in the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) come at the request of specific employers, and are attached to them for the duration of their stay in Canada. They cannot easily change jobs or remain in the country if they are unemployed. Most migrant workers are denied permanent residency and are pushed out by a revolving door immigration system.

The use of labour brokers or recruitment agencies has led to the proliferation of operators who exploit migrant worker for their profit. Brokers are largely unregulated, and charge exorbitant fees for placement in jobs that sometimes don’t even exist.

Federal immigration laws that create temporariness are exacerbated by provincial labour and social entitlement laws that shut migrant workers out from basic protections. As a result, migrant workers live in constant precarity.

This shift towards increased temporary worker programs over the last decade is part of a much longer historical trend towards temporariness. 2016 will be the 50th year of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program and over 40 years since the current form of the Caregivers program came into force. This temporariness has created  a massive divide between citizens with rights, and the rest, temporary and non-status, largely racialized and low-waged workers. CMWRC

We also know that the struggles for migrant worker rights in Canada cannot be separated from the struggle against displacement. Migration, in its current form, is still very much a product of underdevelopment. Poverty, unemployment, political conflict and general displacement of peoples including displacement due to environmental factors. Thus, justice for migrants includes ensuring an end to wars and war profiteering, economic free trade agreements, and ecological and environmental degradation that Canadian corporations are complicit in abroad. It requires recognition and honoring of Indigenous self-determination here at home.

This December 18th, let us commit to moving as one to make our dreams of justice a reality.

Coalition for Migrant Workers Rights Canada International Migrants’ Day statement, December 18, 2015
MoVE is a Campaign for Mobility, Voice and Equality for Migrant Workers

“We are people, not rags”

For too long, we have only heard about migrant workers. But it’s time to hear from them. Migrant worker leaders like Dhon Mojica. Dhon Mojica, was in the temporary foreign worker program. While his application for permanent residency was recently approved, his life and status were in limbo for a long time. He moved from one precarious job to another in search of stability. Many of his friends and co-workers were not as lucky. Most of them were sent back to the Philippines. Dhon should have arrived in Canada with permanent immigration status. That’s only fair.

Use these tools to amplify Dhon’s message.

+ Forward this email : http://eepurl.com/bE8ElX
+ Share this Facebook image: http://on.fb.me/1HI6VBs
+ Share on Twitter image: http://bit.ly/1NKEOIz
151110_CMWRC_Meme3

And we are live!

151025_CMWRC_Meme_Shared Link3

After over a year of conversation, phone calls, in-person meetings and organizing together on the No 4 and 4 Campaign – today we launched over social media with the following:

+ Brand new site: www.migrantrights.ca
+ Email that can be forwarded: http://eepurl.com/bDUL0L
+ Facebook image that can be shared: http://on.fb.me/1MgsgmE
+ Twitter image that can be shared: http://bit.ly/1k79bgb
Together, let’s make sure we win an end to tied work permits, and we get permanent status on landing for migrant workers. The time for change is now.

Canada wide migrant worker coalition calls on Trudeau to MoVE for Real Change.

Newly launched Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights – Canada calls for end to discrimination against migrant workers.

Canada – Migrant worker groups from across Canada are launching a historic coalition to call on Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government to end the discriminatory practice of tying migrant workers to specific employers and transition towards permanent immigration status upon arrival for migrant workers. The Coalition for Migrant Workers Rights – Canada (CMWRC), is a coalition of organizations representing Canadian born and migrant worker groups from coast to coast to coast, aimed at improving work conditions for all workers. CMWRC is launching MoVE – a campaign for Mobility, Voice and Equality for Migrant Workers to call on Prime Minister Trudeau to keep his campaign promises to undo the harm done by the Harper government and to move towards a single-tier immigration system based on permanency and family reunification to ensure decent work for all.

Low-waged Temporary Foreign Workers, Caregivers and Seasonal Agricultural Workers come to Canada on work permits that restrict them to working for the specific employer listed on their permit. Changing employers is extremely difficult which allows bad bosses to lower salaries and work conditions. This creates pressure to reduce salaries and erode work conditions for all workers. A first step to ending this downward cycle is to untie the permits so workers have the ‘mobility’ to leave employers who exploit them. Next steps must move to reorient the system to secure, permanent immigration that protects ‘voice’ and ‘equality’ for workers.

WHAT: Launch of MoVE Campaign by Coalition for Migrant Worker Rights – Canada

WHERE and WHEN:

  • Charlottetown – 200 Richmond Street, 11am, Oct 28, 2015.
  • Edmonton – 14931 107 Avenue, 3:30pm, Oct 28, 2015.
  • Montreal – I.W.C, 4755 Van Horne, 10am, Oct 28, 2015.
  • Toronto – Suite 223, 720 Spadina, 11am, Oct 28, 2015.
  • Vancouver – 550 W 6th Avenue #100, 9am, Oct 28, 2015.

MoVE Demands

  • Regulatory changes to make it easier for migrant workers to move between jobs thereby improving working and living conditions for Canadian born and migrant workers. Specifically:
    • Transition from tied work permits to open work permits
    • Remove limits on work permits and restrictions on Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) including a 4-year time limit on workers ability to stay.
  • Permanent resident immigration status upon arrival for migrant workers.

WHO: Founding members of CMWRC:

  • Cooper Institute (PEI)
  • Migrant Workers Alliance for Change*
  • Migrante Canada
  • Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture (Okanagan Valley)
  • Temporary Foreign Workers Association in Quebec
  • Temporary Foreign Workers Coalition in Alberta
  • Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregiver Rights (Vancouver)

*Migrant Workers Alliance for Change includes Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (Toronto), Asian Community Aids Services (Ontario), Caregivers Action Centre (Ontario), Fuerza Puwersa (Guelph), Industrial Accident Victims’ Group of Ontario, Justicia for Migrant Workers (Ontario), Legal Assistance of Windsor, Migrante Ontario, No One Is Illegal – Toronto, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Social Planning Toronto, UNIFOR (Canada), South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, United Food and Commercial Workers (Canada), Workers United and the Workers’ Action Centre (Toronto).

###

Media Contacts:

Toronto – Syed Hussan, Coordinator, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, 416 453 3632
Charlottetown – Josie Baker, Cooper Institute, 902-894-4573
Edmonton –Dhon Mojica, Migrante Canada, 780-716-3809
Montreal – ATTET Quebec <attetquebec@gmail.com>
Vancouver – Julie Diesta for Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights (CDWCR), 778-881-8345, Natalie Drolet for West Coast Domestic Workers Association (WCDWA), 604-445-0661, Jane Ordinario for Migrante BC, 604-961-7794