Migrant Worker Defence Organizations Call for Permanent Resident Status in the Face of Mounting Abuse
- Diane Johnston -
On June 8, the Migrant Workers Alliance for
Change (MWAC) released a 28-page report of
complaints on behalf of over 1,000 workers
entitled: Unheeded
Warnings: COVID-19 and Migrant Workers in
Canada. The report documents
complaints of these workers that have gone
unheeded by federal and provincial authorities
and consulates in advance of the recent COVID-19
outbreaks that have led to two workers' deaths
and at least two in Intensive Care.[1]
Co-author and MWAC campaigns coordinator Karen
Cocq noted in a press release the same day:
"Most of the workers we spoke to knew they would
fall sick because of their living and working
conditions but could not speak up because doing
so means termination, homelessness, loss of
income, deportation and not being able to come
back in the future." She concludes that "To stop
this grave crisis from worsening, it is
necessary that all migrants be given permanent
resident status immediately."
The report situates these abuses within the
decades long history of unheeded warnings made
by migrant workers about Canada's temporary
immigration and labour laws.
 Through the press
release, we learn that "The biggest COVID-19
outbreaks have taken place at Scotlynn Farms,
one of the largest farming operations in
Ontario." One migrant worker said, "They treat
us like robots. They only care about the work we
do and the money they make because of our
labour. Scotlynn Farms is saying that they took
care of us, but when the first worker fell sick
here, they didn't do anything. We workers got
together and called the ambulance." The worker
added: "It's not fair that they treat us like
this. We need equal rights and permanent
resident status."
Says MWAC organizer Sonia Áviles, who staffs
one of the hotlines where the complaints were
made: "The federal government has given nearly a
billion dollars to agri-food businesses, while
migrants who actually grow the food are falling
sick and dying." What is needed, she adds, is
for "the federal and provincial government to go
in and see what's going on, and fix things to
ensure workers are protected before more people
die -- that means snap inspections, social
distancing measures and permanent resident
status."
The press release also informs that in 2017,
migrant workers accounted for 41.6 per cent of
all agricultural workers in Ontario and over 30
per cent of those in Quebec, British Columbia
and Nova Scotia.
"Employers are using COVID-19 to lock migrant
workers up, refusing to let them leave even to
get groceries or send remittances home, while
threatening them," notes MWAC organizer Kit
Andres, who staffs the English hotline where the
complaints were received. "Workers," she stated,
"need permanent resident status so they can
assert their rights."
The MWAC has sent several letters regarding
migrants to the federal government that have
also gone unanswered.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, notes the
communiqué, over 6,000 people have signed on to
a petition here
calling for full immigration status on arrival.
The Migrant Rights Network has also sent several
letters regarding migrants to the federal
government that have been ignored.[2]
Some of the key findings of the report are
that:
- Lack of permanent resident status makes it
impossible for workers to assert their rights;
- Employers are not taking COVID-19
precautions;
-Wage theft is commonplace, in the form of
deductions and unpaid wages;
- Border closures resulted in loss of income,
and workers were coerced to travel to Canada
because no income supports were available;
- Workers could not socially distance and did
not receive decent food, income or health
information during quarantine;
- Housing conditions worsened dramatically
after quarantine and greater limits have been
placed on worker mobility;
- Intimidation, surveillance, threats and
racism have greatly increased; and
- Work has intensified greatly during COVID-19.
The Migrant Rights Network is organizing a
digital rally for Full Immigration Status for
All on June 14 at noon. See calendar of events
above and for further information, click
here.
Notes
1. The Migrant Workers
Alliance for Change (MWAC) is an organization
and a coalition. As a coalition, 28 member
organizations support worker self-organizing,
share resources and advocate together for
changes to immigration and labour policy. MWAC
is a coalition of grassroots migrant-led bodies
of farm workers, careworkers, undocumented
people and international students and local and
national organizations. As an organization, MWAC
supports migrant workers self-organizing in
unorganized areas or sectors. Currently, MWAC is
focused on supporting migrant worker
self-organizing in the Niagara region, and
migrant student organizing. MWAC is a member of,
and forms the secretariat of the Migrant Rights
Network - Canada's largest migrant justice
coalition.
2. The Migrant Rights Network defines itself as
a "Cross-Canada alliance to combat racism and
fight for migrant justice." It describes itself
as "a network of self-organized groups of
refugees and migrants and allies."
This article was published in
Number 40 - June 11, 2020
Article Link:
Migrant Worker Defence Organizations Call for Permanent Resident Status in the Face of Mounting Abuse - Diane Johnston
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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