WHEN: Thursday, September 15, 2022 (1pm ADT)
WHERE: Online via Zoom – Pre-registration required, please click here.
WHO: Ryan McRae (Cooper Institute, Prince Edward Island), Kalum Ng (Madhu Centre, New Brunswick) and Stacey Gomez (No one is illegal – Halifax/Kjipuktuk Migrant Workers Program, Nova Scotia)
Maritime-based organizations will host a press conference to call on Prime Minister Trudeau and the next parliamentary session to implement a comprehensive regularization program without delay that ensures permanent residency for all 500,000 undocumented residents, as well as full and permanent immigration status for all 1.2 million migrant workers, students, refugees and families in the country. The organizations are members of the Migrant Rights Network, Canada’s largest migrant-led coalition.
The press conference is taking place in advance of massive protests where thousands of people are expected to take to the streets in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Halifax, Guelph, Sudbury, Miramichi, St. John’s and Clarksburg on Sunday, September 18 in the lead up to Parliament’s return. Off-the-record sources have confirmed that Canada is developing a regularization program but no timelines have been announced or guarantees provided that this program will be inclusive. Regularization is an historic opportunity for Prime Minister Trudeau to correct unfairness in the immigration system and change the lives of half a million undocumented people which will ensure increased healthcare, climate and global justice and improve working conditions. Over 480 civil society organizations have already endorsed this call for immigration justice.
Actions in Atlantic Canada and Media Contacts for Sunday, September 18, 2022
CHARLOTTETOWN, PE: Status for All: Reimagining PEI
Sep 18, 1pm, Victoria Park Pavilion, 36 Victoria Park Driveway
Media Contact: Ryan MacRae, [email protected], Cooper Institute
FREDERICTON, NB: Status for All Day of Action Fredericton – Madhu Centre Organization Launch
Sep 18, 1pm, 577 Hillcrest Drive
Media Contact: Kalum Ng, [email protected], Madhu Centre
ANTIGONISH, NS: “United We Call: Status for All!” at Antigonight: Art After Dark Festival
Sept 17, 7-11pm, Main Street Grounds (Scotiabank)
Media Contact: Stacey Gomez, [email protected], No one is illegal – Halifax/Kjipuktuk, Migrant Workers Program
MIRAMICHI, NB: Rights, Regularization, Status for All
Sep 18, 2pm, Queen Elizabeth Park Town Square. 141 rue Henry Street
Media Contact: Sonia Aviles, 289 990 1349, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change
ST. JOHN’S, NL: Status for All Picnic
Sep 18, 1pm, Bannerman Park
Media Contact: Adi Khaitan, 709-693-6032
Background
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There are at least 1.2 million people in Canada on temporary work, study or refugee claimant permits issued in Canada each year. Most migrants in low-waged work do not have access to permanent residency so eventually they are forced to either leave Canada or stay in the country undocumented. Migrant farm workers recently testified that these temporary migration schemes are “systematic slavery”.
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Many are unable to return to sending countries because of war, discrimination, lack of economic opportunities and/or because they have built relationships in Canada. Today, there are over 500,000 undocumented people in the country.
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As a result, there are at least 1.7 million migrants – 1 in 23 residents in Canada – who do not have equal rights.
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Migrants are excluded from healthcare and social services and cannot unite with their families. Lack of permanent resident status makes it difficult, and often impossible, for migrants to speak up for their rights at work or access services, including those they may be eligible for, because of a well-founded fear of reprisals, termination, eviction and deportation.
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Migrants – mostly low-waged, racialized, working class people – are deemed essential but are excluded from rights. Thousands of migrants lost their lives and livelihoods in COVID-19 while working in farms, long-term care homes, construction, cleaning, and delivery work.
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Comprehensive regularization (a program that includes all 500,000 undocumented people) will address a historic wrong; improve working conditions by giving migrants the power to protects themselves; guarantee public health; and add at least $1.1 billion dollars to the public purse per year through contributions by employers who currently don’t pay taxes.
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Canada created the “Guardian Angels” program for some refugee and undocumented healthcare workers, which expired in August 2020. The Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident (TR to PR) program was created in May 2021, and expired in November. These programs excluded the vast majority of racialized, low-waged migrants. No permanent changes have been made to ensure immigration justice.
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Over 10,000 people have signed a petition in support of these demands: www.StatusforAll.ca
