International Students Rally in Toronto to Demand Rights  
Migrant Students United
(MSU), a national affiliate of
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, held a rally outside the
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada office in downtown
Toronto on October 25 to demand the recognition of the rights of
international students. They demanded that the Canadian
government guarantee their basic rights to live, work and study
in Canada and uphold the promises made to them to entice them to
come to this country. Activists from the Communist Party of
Canada (Marxist-Leninist) also participated in the action. The
main demand is for the renewal of the Post-Graduation Work
Permit (PGWP) for all international students so that they have
additional time to fulfill their employment requirements to
qualify for permanent residency. Many of the more than 700,000
international student work permit holders are facing the reality
that their work permits will expire at the end of 2020 and they
will be deported because they are unable to fulfill their
employment requirement to qualify for permanent resident
status. Sarom Rho, the main organizer for MSU in
Toronto, highlighted
the extreme difficulties that international students are facing
in the COVID-19 pandemic. She pointed out that foreign students
pay tuition fees two to six times that of citizens or permanent
residents. They contribute billions of dollars to the economy
through these high fees, and through their labour and taxes, yet
have been completely ignored by the Trudeau Liberal government
and deprived of any emergency financial support, health care and
other basic social services. They have been left extremely
vulnerable. Many are going hungry, having lost their jobs and
housing, are cut off from their families, and now face the
prospect of being deported. She called for an end to this abuse
of international students. She put forward the MSU's four demands
to the Canadian and Ontario governments: 1. Fix
Rules Around Work: Make postgraduate work permits
renewable so former students can complete requirements for
permanent residency (PR) in the COVID-19 job market. Remove time
limits and count all work for PR. 2. Give
Real Access to PR: Lower the points required for PR.
Ensure full and permanent immigration status for all
migrants. 3. Lower Tuition and Ensure
Full Services: Ensure migrant
students pay the same tuition fees as Canadians; Ensure full
access to all services including health care, housing,
scholarships, pandemic emergency benefits, in-school support and
jobs; and immediate access to social insurance numbers. 4.
Unite Families: Allow families to travel, and ensure
work
permits for family members. Two George Brown
College postgraduate students, one from Brazil and one from Poland,
shared their struggles, frustrations and constant stress about their
future. They expressed their determination to continue to fight for the
rights of all international students and migrant workers in Canada for
permanent status so that they can continue to live in Canada and
contribute their talents. They called on everyone to join them in their
fight for justice. An online petition to "Fix PGWP,
Ensure Status for All" can be
found here.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 44 - November 14, 2020
Article Link:
International Students Rally in Toronto to Demand Rights
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
