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Migrants across Canada call for action on permanent resident status

TORONTO –

Thousands of migrants and their supporters staged rallies across Canadian cities on Sunday calling for Ottawa to extend permanent residency to undocumented people.

There are also calls for a swift implementation of a comprehensive program of formalization for undocumented migrants – a longstanding demand that advocates say seems closer than ever to a reality. based on recent moves by the federal Liberal government.

Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Coalition for Change, said it was the right time for Ottawa to listen to calls from his group and others for greater access to fundamental rights. copies for undocumented people in Canada.

“We have a historic opportunity right now to correct a mistake that has been going on for years,” he said by phone before arriving at a rally scheduled for the afternoon in Toronto.

“We want to make sure that parliament doesn’t delay in any way.”

Ottawa has launched a COVID-19 pandemic regulation program for asylum seekers working in the health sector. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since expressed interest in expanding the initiative.

A mandate letter from December 2021 asks Trudeau’s immigration and citizenship minister to “build upon existing pilot programs to further explore ways of providing status for workers who are not whose papers are contributing to Canadian communities.”

Hussan said the program should include all undocumented people and suggested it should be the focus of the government as parliament prepares to reopen next week.

“Prime Minister Trudeau has indicated that he wants to do the right thing. The question now is, will everyone get involved,” Hussan said.

“We believe equality is equality, any exclusion is discrimination, so every migrant worker or refugee, student and undocumented person should be included.”

A spokesman for the Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser said work on implementing the mandatory commitment to providing status for undocumented workers is underway as the Department consults with the State Department. with experts and stakeholders.

Aidan Strickland said future policy decisions will draw on lessons learned from recent programs such as the one for asylum seekers working in healthcare during the pandemic. .

“As we emerge from the pandemic, IRCC will continue to explore new avenues to help many foreign nationals living in Canada make this their permanent home,” Strickland said in an email.

“While we cannot speculate on future policy decisions, this is an opportunity for us to review best practices and lessons learned from our previous experience to ensure most comprehensive and effective public policy.”

Hussan said he expected a total of thousands of people to attend the marches and marches planned in 13 cities including Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Fredericton and St. John’s, NL, led by the Migrant Rights Network.

Heavy rain did not stop hundreds of people from gathering in a Toronto park with umbrellas and signs calling on the government to extend “status to all” – a mantra repeated in songs and speeches during the afternoon event.

Labor groups and unions were also present to wave.

Several migrants, including farm and health care workers, shared their stories before the march marched outside the office of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia’s downtown area. Freeland.

Merari Borgez, 19, who moved to Toronto from Mexico City as a child, told the crowd how her family struggled to access health care and education and was unable to travel. travel and say goodbye to loved ones due to their lack of Canadian status.

“Living without status is dehumanizing,” she said, calling on politicians to work quickly to expand status to families like her. “We don’t want pity. We want action.”

Similar days of protests across the country have been held over the migrant status issue, but Hussan said Sunday’s events are expected to be larger as momentum for the cause has increased in the past few days. Lately year.

That’s partly because more and more undocumented people are organizing for more rights, he said, as well as the renewed attention being paid to the inequalities they face in public institutions. essential during the pandemic.

He said the calls for rules and regulations would give undocumented workers in Canada the right to advocate for better working, studying and living conditions, as well as access to services. health care for the entire population.

These measures will also bring people mobility and improve working conditions, he said.

Caroline Michael, an undocumented healthcare worker in Toronto, also joined the call for permanent resident status.

At Sunday’s event, she shared the challenges she faces as a refugee wanting to stay in Canada. After being denied various status applications, Michael said formalization was her last option.

She said she has been asked to pay for health care services and her condition has had a profound effect on her mental health, but she cannot leave the hospital where she works due to his status.

“This is like (you’re) in prison. You’re in captivity,” she said. She called on parliament to extend permanent residency to all migrants, including herself and others working on the front lines during COVID-19.

“Why should we be treated this way,” she told the crowd. “All human beings deserve to be treated properly. We have the right to be happy in Canada.”


This report by the Canadian Press was first published on September 18, 2022.

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