Support the Demand for Status For All
Permanent Resident Status for Immigrants and Refugees Now!
- Diane Johnston -
The government of Canada continues to refuse to do its duty to
guarantee the rights of each and every human being in Canada, including
over one and a half million immigrants and refugees. Throughout the
pandemic migrant workers, including thousands who live under constant
threat of deportation, have put their lives on the line to work
in long-term care homes and hospitals, in restaurants and meat
processing plants, warehouses, farms and industry. In actions from
coast to coast migrant workers and people from all walks of life have
repeatedly raised the demand that Canada modernize itself and recognize
that all human beings have rights and guarantee status for all.
 Recently Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada invited over
27,000 migrants to apply for permanent residency through the Express
Entry draw on February 13. These draws take place about every two
weeks. February 13 was the highest number ever, a 440 per cent increase from
the previous draw on January 21.
Migrant Rights Network reports on its website: "Canada's
Express Entry system
assigns points for age, language, education, work experience and more.
While the points required for this latest invitation are the lowest
ever, migrants in these large numbers were invited to apply for
permanent residency in the 'Canadian Experience Class' (CEC). To
qualify for
CEC, applicants must, among other requirements, have 12 months of
high-waged work in Canada in managerial or technical jobs. Migrants in
low-waged work are not allowed to apply.
"Farm workers, care workers, those working in food processing,
retail, delivery, warehouse, cleaning, construction, and workers in all
those other jobs Canadians have come to call 'essential', are
deemed 'low-skilled' by the immigration system. "Few
avenues exist
for them to get rights and permanent residence under current rules. The
'pathways to status' for low-waged farm workers and care workers
require high language and education scores that effectively shut them
out."
In the 2019-2020 year detentions and deportations increased to the
highest level since 2015 and, after a period of reduced removals from
March to November last year, removals began again at the beginning of
December. Migrant Rights Network reports that applications to stay from
undocumented migrants are being denied at record high rates at
present. Migrant workers are part of the Canadian working class
which does not recognize the categories that the ruling elite
has created in an attempt to divide people. This division is used to
justify the super-exploitation of those accorded fewer rights, a
situation that is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Modern
definitions
recognize only one humanity and governments at every level have a duty
to guarantee the rights of all.  The
Migrant Rights Network is appealing to everyone to sign the
petition demanding the government grant full and permanent status for
all and states: "Clearly the government can easily grant people PR
[Permanent Resident status], but
chooses to cherry-pick
and discriminate instead. The federal government is scrambling to meet
its immigration targets by granting status to some, while deporting and
denying others. This is a divide and conquer strategy that pits
'deserving' migrants against 'undeserving' migrants. But permanent
status is not a gift for the deserving -- it is about equality. It
is a means to
access healthcare, education, labour protections, family reunification
and other basic rights. And all of us deserve the same rights."
Four hundred organizations representing over 8 million members have
signed the petition which can be accessed here.
This article was published in
February 24, 2021 - No. 10
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO08102.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
