Share
December 18th marks UN International Migrants Day, a day where we recognize not only the challenges faced by migrants around the world, but the vital contributions they make every day, both in our communities and workplaces.
Across our union, we welcome migrant workers as our members and co-workers, whether they are migrant farm and agricultural workers, temporary migrant workers employed in retail, health care and transportation, or international students working part-time to make ends meet.
However, rampant migrant exploitation at the hands of some employers, continues to characterize the migrant worker experience for many in Canada.
Failures at the federal policy level are largely contributing to this, as an increasing number of migrants arriving to Canada are doing so on a temporary, rather than permanent, basis. In 2022, just over 437,000 immigrants settled to Canada permanently, while nearly 608,000 were considered temporary. This is creating a two-tiered system where some groups of people in Canada have full access to legal rights and protections and others do not. This not only fuels general labour market precarity, but creates the conditions that allow for the hyper-exploitation and labour trafficking of migrants that often make headlines.
Our migrant worker programs have also been subject to international scrutiny. Earlier this year, a UN special rapporteur described Canada’s temporary foreign worker program as a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”. Migrants are now challenging the historic and ongoing racist legacy of these programs, such as the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, which among other things, continue to tie workers to a single employer.
The increasing complexity of Canada’s immigration system, coupled by delays and backlogs, is resulting in many migrants losing their legal status in Canada and ending up as undocumented, leaving them further vulnerable to abuse by employers, recruiters and landlords. In 2021, the Trudeau government had promised to introduce a ‘regularization’ program – a program that would provide permanent immigration status to those living in Canada without any. As we near 2024, migrants in Canada are still waiting. Instead, the government has been ramping up deportations, leaving migrant communities in constant fear.
That is why we must continue to stand in full support and solidarity with migrant workers across Canada.
We must see through the attempts by right-wing political parties and groups who conveniently use the fear of migrants to seize on people’s economic insecurities in order to cover up their own policy failures – whether it’s through deliberately ensuring minimum wages rates stay low, cutting funding for social programs such as health and education and removing rent controls to make housing increasingly unaffordable.
A united labour movement includes ensuring that all workers, regardless of their status, have equal rights and protections and we must continue our collective fight to ensure that all workers can live with respect, dignity and safety.
