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:
- Cabinet Minister posters (to put on the door and the areas around the office)
- Template letter to personalize to drop off
- Regularization Policy Brief
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.
- Download and print legal sized petition
- Download and print regular 8.5 x 11 sized petition
- Once you’ve gathered signatures, click here to share them with us.
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.