Stand in solidarity with migrant workers this weekend

A UN Special Rapporteur found Canada's employer-specific work permit regimes make migrant workers vulnerable to contemporary forms of exploitation and slavery. They called for regularized status.

Photo credit: Migrant Rights Network

Hundreds of thousands of workers in Canada are living in poverty, experiencing fear, and subjected to exploitation simply because they have been denied permanent resident status.

Migrants care for Canada’s elders and children, work in factories, keep hospitals running, and build homes. So why are they denied the same rights that others in Canada take for granted?

Migrants and their allies are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to immediately implement his promise of equality and fairness for everyone living in Canada. That would mean all migrants --including undocumented people, migrant workers, students, refugees and families -- would be given permanent resident status.

And, they are turning out en masse this weekend on the eve of Parliament’s return. Migrants and their allies will be holding peaceful demonstrations and actions across nine provinces and territories in a show of solidarity for worker rights and human rights.

Additionally, Migrant Rights Network has proposed a comprehensive regularization program that is uncapped, will grant permanent resident status – rather than temporary permits – and will include anyone.

These calls for equality come on the heels of the United Nations Special Rapporteur report on contemporary forms of slavery that referred to Canada’s temporary migration streams as a “breeding ground” for exploitation and slavery.

UN Special Rapporteur, Tomoya Obokata, expressed deep concern over the accounts of exploitation and abuse shared with him during his 14-day visit to Canada. In his end-of-mission statement, Obokata highlighted the vulnerability of migrant workers within Canada’s foreign-worker programs.

“Employer-specific work permit regimes, including certain Temporary Foreign Worker Programmes, make migrant workers vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery, as they cannot report abuses without fear of deportation,” Obokata said.

Obokata emphasized the urgent need for Canadian authorities to regularize the status of foreign migrant workers and dismantle the closed work permit system. He called for the establishment of a clear pathway to permanent residency for all migrants, aimed at preventing the recurrence of abuses within the foreign-worker programs.

September 8, 2023, Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, released a statement backing Obokata’s report and reinforcing that the findings should serve as a wake-up call for lawmakers and civil-society groups.

“Canada has work to do to ensure we not only eliminate modern forms of slavery but also create an environment where it is impossible for them to take root,” Nivyabandi wrote.

There are currently 1.8 million migrant and undocumented workers in Canada working on farms, in the food industry and providing care for our children and elders.

The conditions under which migrant workers live and work puts them at greater risk from the infections like the novel coronavirus, especially when they are unable to access personal protective equipment and universal health care.

Without access to primary care migrant workers are forced to let health conditions deteriorate until they have no other choice but to go to an emergency department for care that requires considerably more interventions.

Migrant workers pay into employment insurance (EI), but in most cases are unable to access EI, and could not access CERB. Undocumented workers have no records which means they’re unable to access social safety nets.

Regularization will also end to the downward pressure placed on wages and working conditions that is a direct result employer exploitation of migrants that trickles down to impact all Canadian workers.

Comprehensive regularization will add at least $1.1 billion dollars to the public purse annually through contributions by employers who currently don’t pay taxes.

It will also allow migrants to lay down deeper roots, participate more fully in society, and gain labour mobility to fill jobs in industries and regions where workers are needed.

Prime Minister Trudeau promised regularization for undocumented people and permanent resident status for migrant students and workers in December 2021. Yet, to date, no program has been implemented. 

“While these are important steps, clear monitoring frameworks need to be in place, and Canada must do more to implement these measures to address modern slavery, by protecting workers’ rights and tackling discrimination that enables exploitation,” Nivyabandi said.

Every migrant-led organization in Canada will be joined by over 500 civil society, labour and environmental organizations, in support of this proposal. They are calling for full and permanent immigration status for all migrants in the country, as well as permanent resident status for all migrants arriving in future. 

To date, over 33,000 people have sent messages to Cabinet in support of permanent resident status for all. Add your voice by signing the petition here.

These marches and actions are endorsed by over 200 organizations including major labour bodies like Unifor and Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL); environmental groups like Climate Action Network and David Suzuki Foundation; faith bodies like the United Church of Canada; as well as civil society groups like Oxfam Canada.

This weekend, join the Migrant Rights Network action near you and show your support for the migrant workers who keep Canada’s economy going with their skilled labour:

EDMONTON, AB: September 17, 1:00 PM, Alberta Legislature

FREDERICTON, NB: September 16, 11am, 180 St John Street

HALIFAX, NS: September 17, 4pm, MP Andy Fillmore’s office, 1888 Brunswick Street

HAMILTON, ON: September 17, 1:30pm, MP Filomena Tassi's Office, 1686 Main St W

KINGSTON, ON: September 17, 11am, MP Gerretsen’s office, 841 Princess Street 

LONDON, ON: September 17, 1pm, Victoria Park - North-West entrance 

MONTREAL, QC: September 17, 2pm, Minister Millers’ office, 3175 Rue Saint-Jacques

OTTAWA, ON: September 16, 11am, Parliament Hill

ST CATHARINES, ON: September 17, 2pm, MP Chris Bittle's Office, 61 Geneva Street

ST JOHN’S, NL: September 24, 4pm, Harbourside Park

SUDBURY, ON: September 17, 1pm, Memorial Park

TORONTO, ON: September 17, 2pm, Bloor & Yonge

VANCOUVER, BC: September 17, 4pm, CBSA HQ, 300 West Georgia Street 

VICTORIA, BC: September 17, 11am, BC Legislature

WHITEHORSE, YT: September 15, 12-3pm, 308 Hanson St, Whitehorse

WINNIPEG: September 17, 3pm, City Hall