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On International Migrants Day, Unifor recognizes and celebrates the invaluable contributions of migrants across Canada and around the world.
This year’s theme, “One City, Many Journeys – Honouring Migrants and Shaping a Shared Future”, is a reminder that migrant workers are integral to our workplaces, our communities, and our collective future.
From international students to temporary foreign workers, Unifor is proud to represent migrant members in sectors such as agriculture and food processing, health care, manufacturing, transportation, retail, hospitality and more.
Every day, migrant workers support our economy and strengthen the social fabric of this country—caring for our loved ones, growing and harvesting our food, and helping build the infrastructure that sustains our communities.
Yet despite their essential role, migrant workers continue to face precarious conditions and systemic barriers that increase the risk of abuse, exploitation and unsafe working environments. The lack of permanent status leaves too many living in uncertainty and fear.
With the federal government moving to restrict temporary migrant residency, an estimated three million temporary migrants may lose their immigration status in Canada—including many of our members.
As a union, we know that workplace divides only benefit employers and weaken worker power. Unifor is committed to protecting the rights of all workers, regardless of status.
Equal rights and fair treatment are not privileges—they are fundamental to dignity at work and a stronger, more inclusive labour movement. To support this work, Unifor has developed a practical toolkit to help Locals better assist migrant members in their workplaces, communities and union spaces.
This work is part of a broader global struggle. Today, the movement of people across borders continues to grow, with UN estimates showing 304 million migrants worldwide—nearly double the number in 1990. People migrate for many reasons: to pursue decent work, education, family reunification, or to escape conflict, climate disaster and life-threatening conditions.
Yet, despite international legal protections, we are witnessing an alarming increase in anti-migrant policies and rhetoric. Arbitrary detentions and deportations in the United States, tightening of asylum rules across Europe, and the rise of right-wing anti-migrant political forces all demonstrate the significant threats migrant communities face.
In Canada, we are also seeing troubling policy directions. Measures such as Bill C-12 raise red flags for advocates, who warn that it could weaken human rights protections for refugees and migrant communities. When governments restrict rights for one group, history shows that others are not far behind. It is crucial that we confront these shifts with solidarity and organized resistance. Defending migrant rights is defending worker rights.
At the same time, many countries are moving to curb migration while cutting back on international aid and development funding—policies that risk deepening global inequality and driving even more displacement. Instead of building barriers, governments must commit to solutions that centre human dignity, fairness, and lasting security.
Through the Unifor Social Justice Fund, we continue to support initiatives that defend migrant rights and provide direct assistance—from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, across the U.S.–Mexico border, and on the shores of Greece. Solidarity is not confined by borders, and neither is our commitment to justice.
On International Migrants Day, we honour migrant workers, celebrate their contributions and recommit to the fight for equal rights, permanent status and safe, decent work for all. A fair future is only possible when no worker is left behind.
Unifor stands with migrant workers—today and every day.
