14 November 2024
Migrante Canada
Regularization: Off Their Table
Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that the promise by the Trudeau government on regularization of undocumented migrants was no longer on the table. That promise was in the mandate letter of Prime Minister Trudeau to the Immigration Minister and made on December 16, 2021.
Miller’s announcement after Trudeau’s promise from four years ago is part of the government recent changes that included decreased immigration levels, restrictions on immigration programs (e.g. TFWs, one year work permits, drastic changes in the international student program, etc.), decrease in the number of permanent residents into the country, including asylum seekers, and the promise of deportations.
It is no coincidence that we also saw the heightened rise of racism and xenophobia in the visible and aggressive spread of myths and scapegoating of migrants, temporary foreign workers, international students, and undocumented people for the crises in Canada. We are not the cause of the housing crisis, the employment crisis, the rise of food prices, depressed wages, etc. We still remember that during the health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian hate and racism targeted Asians.
The government has found (again) convenient and available scapegoats to cover up for its failure to respond to these crises, like having a clear and effective housing policy and infrastructure, not underfunding of public services, stopping corporate greed, etc.
Migrants, regularization, undocumented people are election issues for this government. Immigration Minister Miller told reporters after meeting with business leaders in Vancouver: “A large-scale regularization plan is off the table (at least) until the next election.” Part of the political context behind these immigration levels and policy changes is that Trudeau's minority liberal government faces conservative opposition, low public approval ratings, and public discontent, and the possibility of federal elections appears imminent.
Decreased immigration levels will not solve the crisis in Canada. The problem is not in the number of migrant workers entering and staying in Canada, but rather, it is in the system that is built and supported by pillars that are structured to exploit racialized workers and migrant workers from the Global South.
No less that Prof. Tomoya Obokata, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, whose report findings on Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs, (Immigration Miller found the report “inflammatory”) wrote that stand-alone policy shifts to reduce the numbers of temporary residents or even changing from employer-specific to sector-specific work permits were unlikely to be significantly useful.
Regularization is off the government table, they say.
Regularization, rights and welfare issues, open work permits, access to public services, settlement and health care, rights and protection for all migrants, refugees and undocumented peoples are on our table. Our table is huge because there are migrants, immigrants and refugees, migrant justice advocates and activists, faith-based groups, unions, neighbourhoods and communities from all across Canada around that table.
Regularization is off the government table, they say.
We continue our organizing, education and information work, mobilization for campaigns and concrete issues, networking and solidarity work to help build a strong, solid migrants’ movement.
In the history of our migrant organizing, the government swept away many issues off the government table, attempted to close doors, but we always moved forward, pushed back, and linked arms as we marched and continued to chant even louder: Migrants United Will Never Be Defeated! ###
For reference:
Danilo de Leon, Chair, Migrante Canada
Chris Sorio, Secretary-General, Migrante Canada
www.migrante.ca | @migrantecanada (Twitter | Facebook |Instagram)
Comments