Broad Support for Demand "Status For All!"
Toronto, December 18, 2024
Many organizations, among them trade unions, spoke out to defend the rights of migrant workers on International Migrant's Day -- December 18. The following are what some of them had to say on this occasion.
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
"CUPE supports migrant workers and allies seeking justice and organizing to end precarious living and working conditions... Canada should welcome more immigrants as future citizens ... as part of a strong and progressive immigration program. Around the world, more than 280 million people, including over 35 million refugees, have left their home countries and are migrants. These growing numbers reflect the many injustices at the root of the global migration crisis. These include growing inequality, poverty, unemployment, corruption and foreign intervention, the climate crisis, and war. Migrants have relentlessly fought for their rights.
"International Migrants Day is a day to renew our collective work to build a better world where workers are not forced to leave their homes in search of a job, where everyone has dignity and respect at work and in all aspects of their lives, and where migrant workers do not face exploitation because of their precarious immigration status."
United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW)
"UFCW Canada has been an advocate and ally in the fight to protect and advance the rights of migrant workers for more than two decades. With our various national community partners and allies, we have been raising the exploitation of migrant workers as a human rights travesty that must be acknowledged and corrected.... In the courts, on the streets, in the political arena and through social and traditional media, and with our various national community partners and allies, we have committed to raise the exploitation of migrant workers in Canada as unacceptable. There is a thirsty movement of workers and activists coming together demanding that the Canadian embarrassment that is the Temporary Foreign Worker Program be replaced with a permanent residency strategy...
"On International Migrants Day, we salute our migrant sisters and brothers for their dedication and hard work in order to make their lives and our lives better. We honour their personal sacrifices and struggles to provide for their families. We admire our migrant Brothers and Sisters for their commitment, perseverance and determination to win many battles despite all odds. Most of all, on December 18 we express our gratitude for the inspiration their courage provides in the fight to end human rights injustice and exploitation."
Yukon Federation of Labour (YFL)
"Currently, Canada's migrant worker streams create and reinforce a system in which migrant workers are made vulnerable to exploitation and precarity. Employers have pushed for the creation and expansion of migrant worker programs with closed work permits, designed to prioritize their own interests over those of workers. These streams bind low-wage migrant workers to specific employers, offering no pathway to permanent residency. This stark power imbalance leaves migrant workers highly vulnerable to mistreatment and abuse, with little to no recourse.
"Under the constant threat of deportation, workers are often unable to leave their jobs or challenge unfair and unsafe labour practices. They often endure poor and dangerous working conditions, racism, discrimination, wage theft, and are denied fundamental human and labour rights, trapping them in involuntary servitude."
The YFL also demands that the government replace employer-specific work permits with open work permits; provide permanent residency opportunities for low-wage workers; and provide permanent residency opportunities for former low-wage workers who are undocumented.
Unifor
"It is clear that Canada's immigration system is not working. Temporary foreign worker programs and the exploitation of international students have created a two-tiered labour market where low-wage employers can exploit vulnerable workers. This system must change. We need a sustainable and human rights-based approach to immigration that prioritizes permanent residency, family reunification, equal labour rights and protections, and asylum for those fleeing persecution and violence. On this International Migrants Day, Unifor reaffirms our commitment to stand in solidarity with migrants across Canada and around the world.
"We call on governments to enact policies that uplift and protect migrants, not scapegoat them. It is only by uniting workers -- regardless of status -- that we can build a society where everyone can thrive with dignity, fairness, and respect. Migrants are not to blame for the failures of governments or the greed of corporations. They are our neighbours, our co-workers and our friends. They are integral to the fabric of Canada, and the struggles of migrant peoples are inseparable from those of all working people. Together, we will continue to fight for justice and equity for all."
National Farmer's Union
"Migrant farm workers are vital to our farms and communities, but they face exploitation and exclusion under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker program. Addressing these injustices requires solidarity and collective action. Farmers are under pressure from rising costs, labour shortages, and market instability, while migrant workers endure unsafe conditions, low pay, and a lack of legal protections. Both farmers and migrant farm workers face systems that prioritize corporate profits over people... Migrant workers are partners, not competitors, in sustaining Canada's farms and rural economies.
"Farmers understand the difficulty of finding skilled labour and have long advocated for migrant workers' inclusion. Migrant workers contribute to food production, pay taxes, and enrich communities, yet are denied the right to fully participate in Canadian society. It's time to take action.
"We call on all Canadians to support permanent residency for all migrant workers. Granting permanent status would ensure migrant farm workers can advocate for fair treatment without fear. Doing so will strengthen their rights and the stability of Canada's farms."
This article was published in
Volume 54 Number 12 - December 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M5401211.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca