Status For All!
Cross-Country Actions Demand Permanent Resident Status for All Migrants
The Migrant Rights Network (MRN) is organizing coast to coast
actions from December 3 to 5 under the theme "Tell Your Member of
Parliament: We Live Here! The Crisis is Now!" calling on Members of
Parliament (MPs) to support the demand for full and permanent
immigration status for all. Groups across the country are requesting
meetings with MPs on December 3 and organizing public actions at
offices of MPs on December 4 and 5. 
In a letter to the new Trudeau cabinet dated October 29, the MRN states:
"We call on you to immediately ensure Permanent Resident status for
every resident in the country today, and to ensure that all future
migrants arrive with Permanent Resident status. Canada has shifted to a
system of permanent temporariness: there were at least 1,146,008
migrants on temporary permits on December 30, 2020, and at least an
additional 500,000 undocumented people, as compared to only 184,000 new
permanent residents in the same year. Over 1.6 million migrants in the
country -- one in 23 residents -- face exclusions and
exploitation every day. In order to build a fair society and ensure a
genuine recovery from the pandemic, migrants must have permanent
residency so
that they have the same rights and protections as other residents."
The letter calls for the government to enact extensive policy and
legislative changes to ensure that all migrants get permanent resident
status or citizenship and to protect and defend the rights of migrants
by ending all arbitrary and unjust detentions of migrant workers who
have lost their status through no fault of their own; lifting
restrictive
and arbitrary policies and practices of Immigration, Refugees and
Citizenship Canada which makes it nearly impossible for migrant workers
and their families, undocumented people, international students and
others to gain permanent status; provision of basic health care and
other supports including vaccinations and financial aid during the
pandemic; and an end to the system of modern day human trafficking and
slavery which makes people vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
It is noteworthy that the Throne Speech on November 22 states, under
the theme: "This is the moment to stand up for diversity and
inclusion," -- "Canadians understand that equity, justice, and
diversity are the means and the ends to living together. Fighting
systemic racism, sexism, discrimination, misconduct, and abuse,
including in our core
institutions, will remain a key priority."
It is the state, not the workers of Canada and Quebec, that creates
categories of people and discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity,
immigration status, etc. It is the Canadian state through all levels of
government and policing systems that is the source of "systemic racism,
sexism, discrimination, misconduct and abuse" as evidenced by the
treatment of migrant workers and those without status in Canada. MRN
notes: "Prime Minister Trudeau already started this mandate by acting
against migrants. He allowed the Temporary Resident to Permanent
Resident program's health care stream [1] to expire even though 13,000 of the 20,000 spots were
unfilled. Over 10,000 of us signed a petition calling on the government to allow refugees and undocumented people to apply."
Workers Forum calls on everyone to join the actions organized
by the Migrant Rights Network on December 3-5 in the spirit of taking a
bold stand together in defence of the rights of all and to demand an
end to criminalization of migrant workers and their families and
undocumented workers who have rights by dint of being
human, rights which Canada must respect and uphold. For information on
actions in your community, click here.
Note:
1. From May 6 to November 5
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada accepted applications for
Permanent Resident Status from up to 20,000 temporary workers in health
care.
This article was published in
December 1, 2021 - No. 114
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO081141.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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