Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Niagara Falls, Ont. are also planning events
On Saturday, workers from other countries and their supporters will gather in Sudbury, Ontario, and other Canadian cities to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The Status for All rallies for immigrants, refugees, and international students will also take place in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Niagara Falls, Ont., and will feature personal stories about unfairness and discrimination in Canada.
Under the federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), which was set up in 1966, migrant workers can be hired. Temporary foreign workers can also be hired for jobs that require less formal training as part of a federal immigration pilot project. These jobs are in the agricultural field.
Statistics Canada says that Canada is becoming more and more dependent on temporary foreign workers to fill labor shortage gaps. The number of workers is expected to grow from about 111,000 in 2000 to 777,000 in 2021.
Scott Florence, executive director of the Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre, said, “We will join thousands of migrants across Canada who are holding rallies and events to bring attention to the need for status for everyone” (SWEAC).
The event on Saturday afternoon at the main branch of the Greater Sudbury Public Library is put on by the group.
Florence says that racism is a problem for many migrant workers.
“Let’s say your boss treats you badly or takes advantage of you, and you decide you want to leave. You have 10 days to leave the country, so it doesn’t really give you access to justice or stability “he said.
Florence said that many migrant workers, undocumented workers, or international students who want to work part time are afraid to hold an exploitative employer accountable.
On Saturday, there will be events all over Canada to bring attention to these wrongs and ask the federal government to set up a regularization program, something that advocates have been asking for for years.
In December 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked his minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship to “build on existing pilot programs to further explore ways of regularizing status for undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities.”
Florence said that some people who don’t have legal status end up working illegally and risking deportation to make ends meet.
Florence said, “Everyone who comes to Canada now comes for the same reason that all of our ancestors did: to make a better life for themselves.” “It’s only fair that they have the same access to services and help that our grandparents, great-grandparents, and we had.”
He said that from a human rights point of view, people’s “pressure, struggles, and stress” are “fundamentally unfair.”
IRCC says that the minister of immigration has met with immigrants
In an email to CBC News, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that work is being done to fulfill the promise made by the prime minister.
The email also said that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser had met with about 100 undocumented migrants from all over the country.
In January, IRCC said it would expand the Out-of-Status Construction Workers Pilot program by doubling its size and making it last until January 2024. Over the next year, about 1,000 people will be accepted through this program.