Precarious Status Migrants Should Not Be Left Behind
- Dorota Blumczynska, President,
Canadian Council for Refugees, May 5, 2020 -
 
Signs from caravan organized in support of migrant
workers by Justice for Migrant Workers in May
2020.
Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) President
Dorota Blumczynska has written a letter to Prime
Minister Trudeau to draw attention to the
particular situation facing migrant workers in
Canada during the pandemic. With or without
status, she notes, "migrants in Canada are
sometimes in exploitative situations, and are
particularly vulnerable to labour violations,
gender-based-violence, human rights violations,
human trafficking and other types of abuse." Thus,
their precarity "is amplified during the pandemic
crisis" and they are "in need of urgent support."
In her letter, the CCR's President asks that
immediate action be taken in the following areas:
Income
Although the federal government has extended
access to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to
migrant residents with a valid Social Insurance
Number who earned at least $5,000 in the previous
12 months, she points to the fact that "a number
of gaps still remain to address the urgent needs
of migrant workers, migrants in trafficking
situations, international students, refugee
claimants, and other precarious migrants. This,
she notes, is "forcing some to work in conditions
dangerous to their own and public health, to go
'underground' or to stay in abusive situations in
order to make ends meet."
Health
"[I]t is essential that health care be provided
to everyone living in Canada, regardless of their
immigration status," the letter notes. "We ask all
levels of government to provide necessary
COVID-related services, including access to
testing and necessary treatments in the same
manner that all residents of Canada are entitled.
Additionally, a person's health status must be
kept confidential, particularly in terms of
communication with immigration authorities or
employers."
Immigration Status
 During the pandemic
crisis, Blumczynska notes, "the federal government
should ensure pathways to permanent residence in
Canada are maintained, including pathways for
refugee claimants, trafficked persons, migrant
workers, and precarious migrants applying on
humanitarian and compassionate grounds. No
precarious status migrant should fear deportation
at this time."
The CCR's president also wants the government to
prioritize various existing "short-term remedies
to regularize status" and is calling on the
government to immediately implement a "clear and
standardized application and approval process,
taking no longer than ten days," for those "who
apply for Victims of Human Trafficking Temporary
Resident Permits, Open Work Permits for Vulnerable
Workers, Temporary Resident Permits for Victims of
Family Violence."
Community Support
The organization's president also wants the
federal government to consult with the many
community organizations "on the front-line of
providing support to migrants at this critical
time." The letter stresses, "These organizations
should be consulted in the process of developing
policy and community level responses to COVID-19.
Organizations that support migrants should receive
adequate funding to provide the essential
outreach, popular education, and case intervention
that is necessary at this time."
"Migrant youth are also particularly affected by
the current crisis. Youth-led organizations, and
front-line organizations supporting youth, should
receive adequate funding to provide outreach,
mental health support, and appropriate tools to
manage the current crisis."
The CCR president concludes by noting, "Human
rights and public health standards must be central
to policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic at
this time."
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 17 - May 16, 2020
Article Link:
Precarious Status Migrants Should Not Be Left Behind - Dorota Blumczynska, President,
Canadian Council for Refugees, May 5, 2020
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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