DOWNLOAD MATERIALS: Go to a Labour Day action near you and ask those gathered to sign a pledge to oppose racism. The pledge, flyers, placards and banners for the marches, designs for t-shirts and stickers that you can use are here.
We will be launching an online pledge on Labour Day, sign up to make sure you are the first to receive it.
Politicians of the 1% know that ordinary working people are united in their desire for decent work and strong social services. In fact, they fear our unity. That’s precisely why they use anything they can to distract us and divide us. They pit unionized workers against workers without unions. They pit recent newcomers against those whose families came earlier. And they pit newcomer communities against each other by targeting refugees and migrant workers. Racist xenophobia has become a successful electoral strategy around the world. And has resulted in increased hate crimes and white supremacist violence.
On September 2, Labour Day 2019, take action! Let us #UniteAgainstRacism and refuse to be divided. Find an action near you below and join in! If your city is not listed, find one here, print off some pledge sheets and go.
Are you organizing a #UniteAgainstRacism contingent at Labour Day in your city? Get in touch! Email info@migrantrights.ca
The #UniteAgainstRacism theme builds on the Canadian Labour Congress proposed theme: A Fair Canada for Everyone It’s a perfect way to put forward a shared vision for fairness for all — and challenge the overt racism that is accelerating across Canada.
It is absolutely urgent that we challenge the racist myths that are fuelling the growth of the far right and goading politicians into more aggressive measures against immigrants and migrants to win votes.
As we prepare for Labour Day — and the federal election on October 21 — let’s redouble our efforts to insist that:
- All workers are suffering and feel precarious, but we feel stronger when we stand together for decent work and for quality public services;
- We have the money to create good jobs and undertake all the work that needs doing, so long as corporations and the rich are forced to pay their fair share of taxes, and implement fair labour practices.
- Immigrants are not responsible for low wages or poor services. Rather it’s the bosses — and their political representatives — that conspire to exploit us all.
- Because of the ways laws are structured, migrant workers are more open to abuse. But they are organizing and winning victories that help us all. Indeed we have much to learn from these struggles.
- Now is the time to ensure that all workers can freely exercise their rights. That means every worker must have the right to organize and unionize.It means permanent resident status for all of us as well as racial and gender justice. It means Indigenous self-determination and an end to practices that force people to migrate, including corporate impunity, climate change, and war.
There really is no time to lose. Join us as we raise the banner of fairness for all and unite against racism.
#UniteAgainstRacism – No Worker Left Behind means:
- 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, pensions, and more for all residents.
- 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. No detentions, no deportations!
- JUST SOCIETY: Indigenous self-determination, gender justice, and an end to racism, particularly anti-Black racism and Islamophobia.
- NO DISPLACEMENT: An end to practices that force people to migrate including climate change, wars, corporate impunity, dirty mining and economic exploitation.
#EnsembleContreLeRacisme – Travailleuses et travailleurs uni.e.s! :
- UN TRAVAIL DÉCENT : Un salaire minimum à 15 $, tous les droits du travail et aucun permis de travail rattaché à un employeur ou à durée limitée.
- DES SERVICES UNIVERSELS : Un accès complet à des services publics de qualité : santé, éducation, sécurité du revenu, garde d’enfants, régimes de retraite et autres pour tous les résidents.
- UN STATUT POUR TOUS ET TOUTES, UN STATUT MAINTENANT : Le statut de résident permanent et la réunion des familles pour tous les migrants et réfugiés qui sont ici, et le statut d’immigrant reçu à l’arrivée pour ceux qui viendront à l’avenir. Pas de détentions, pas de déportations!
- UNE SOCIÉTÉ JUSTE : L’autodétermination des peuples autochtones, la justice de genre et l’élimination du racisme, en particulier le racisme contre les personnes noires et l’islamophobie.
- PAS DE DÉPLACEMENT : L’élimination des pratiques qui obligent les peuples à migrer, comme les changements climatiques, les guerres, l’impunité des grandes entreprises, l’extraction minière sale et l’exploitation économique.