Cross Canada Day of Action
Demands Status for All!
The Injustice, Discrimination, and Super-Exploitation of Non-Status People Must Stop!
Montreal, July 4, 2020.
On Saturday, July 4, a cross-Canada day of action
brought people together in defence of the rights of asylum seekers,
temporary foreign workers, the undocumented, those facing deportation,
international students and others. Events were organized in Quebec,
British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario, including at federal
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino's riding office in Toronto.
Montreal, Quebec
Close to 500 people of all ages and from all
walks of life responded to the call of Solidarity Across Borders and
other organizations in Montreal to demand full immigration status for
all. People gathered at 11:00 am at Émilie Gamelin Park for
a rally and march. Migrante Canada, the Immigrant Workers Centre,
Quebec Is Us Too!, the Action Committee on Non Status Persons, the
Committee of Guineans United for Status, Stand Up For Dignity, women's
groups and other organizations involved in the defence of rights
including a contingent of the Marxist-Leninist Party were among those
participating.
The spirit of the action and the many placards and banners were
unequivocal: Status For All! Fight for the Rights of All! We Are not
Disposable; We Are Human Beings Who Are Part of Quebec and We Are
Contributing to Its Development!
Participants demanded immediate full immigration status for all and
that no one be left behind. Irrespective of whether one is an asylum
seeker, a temporary foreign worker, an international student or a
worker whose status has expired, everyone should be treated equally and
fairly, and be subject to the same laws and rules as everyone else,
they said.
 
The living and working conditions of many of
these essential workers are intolerable, the result of their
precarious status and unjust immigration laws and regulations that are
continuously changing to suit the demands of employers and the economy.
Rather than being treated with dignity and as human beings should be,
governments and the tiny ruling elite they represent consider these
workers to be expendable, a commodity to use and then discard.
These essential workers are demanding that their contribution to Quebec
society be recognized, not only economically but also culturally and
socially.
 Because of huge
public support for these workers, both the Quebec and Canadian
governments want to be seen as recognizing their contribution during
the pandemic but thus far, have done nothing concrete to assist them.
Many continue to be threatened with deportation, as a representative of
the Committee of Guineans United for Status pointed out. And if members
of his community are deported, they face violence in their home country.
A member of the movement Quebec Is Us Too! informed the crowd of the
plight of international students and temporary foreign workers whose
future here in Quebec is being jeopardized by recent arbitrary changes
to the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) by the Legault government.
International students have also been left without any support from the
federal Liberal government during the pandemic, other than the
possibility of working full time in an "essential service," often at
the risk of their own health due to the lack of protective equipment
and social distancing afforded them. Many of these essential workers
cannot even access public health care.
They stressed that long before COVID-19 began, they were essential and
have courageously continued to care for others and to ensure that food
is provided for everyone. Many have come here lured by the prospect of
a brighter future for themselves and their families, only to find the
tables have been turned on them and they no longer qualify to
permanently settle here.
Solidarity Across Borders pointed out: "Non-status people are pushed
into working very hard for the success and development of the Canadian
economy, on the front lines, in dangerous and dismal working
conditions, without health care, benefits, or emergency relief. Even
while everyone stayed home to protect themselves from COVID-19, many
among us were forced to face the danger, and thus allowed Canadian
society to continue functioning. Unfortunately, no one thought to
compensate non-status people for the great efforts they made, nor
recognized them as full human beings who should be entitled to the same
as everyone else. People without status are entitled to full
recognition, esteem, and respect.
"We come together to say that, the injustice, discrimination, and
exploitation of non-status people must stop! We unite our forces and
our voices to demand a comprehensive regularization programme. Status
for all!"
 
Toronto, Ontario
 
 
Steveston, BC
People from various parts of the Greater
Vancouver Area travelled to Steveston on July 4 for a rally
outside the office of Steveston-Richmond East MP Kenny Chui. The action
was organized in response to the call from the Migrant Rights Network
for actions across the country. Chui's office was chosen because the
Steveston-Richmond area has a large number of farms that employ
seasonal agricultural workers, and because Chui is a member of the
parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
Demonstrators called attention to the conditions of live-in caregivers,
farm workers and other migrant workers along with the seasonal
agricultural workers.
Besides those who occupied the street in front of the MP's office,
there were others who joined in from cars parked along the street,
adorned with signs such as Justice for Migrant Workers! and Our
Security Lies in the Fight for the Rights of All!
The demonstrators demanded full immigration status for all -- seasonal
agricultural workers and other migrant workers including international
students, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented workers -- along
with access to health care and social services, Employment Insurance
and labour standards. Speakers at the rally encouraged
everyone to sign the petition issued by the Migrant Rights Network and
to phone Prime Minister Trudeau to demand that the government provide
full immigration rights for all migrant workers.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 25 - July 11, 2020
Article Link:
Cross Canada Day of Action
Demands Status for All!: The Injustice, Discrimination, and Super-Exploitation of Non-Status People Must Stop!
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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