In response to recent changes from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Migrants Rights’ Network has launched a weekend of action. In the last few weeks, the federal government has announced new restrictions that affect migrant workers.
Policy changes that have raised alarms for migrants include a limit on the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)s that can be conducted in larger cities and the end of temporary visitors having the opportunity to apply for a work permit from within Canada. LMIAs are a necessary step for employers to obtain a work permit through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.
In an August post on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the choice to limit temporary foreign workers was informed by current labour conditions.
“Now is the time for our businesses to invest in Canadian workers and youth,” Trudeau posted.
Migrant organizations, including the Migrants’ Rights Network (MRN), say the government has been scapegoating migrants for the ongoing affordability crisis. They say the recent decision only continues to push this narrative.
“The politicians and corporations responsible for this crisis want us to blame migrants to distract us from their failures. But we won’t be fooled,” the rights network said in an Instagram post. “Allowing migrant scapegoating means greater migrant exploitation; and distraction from solving our shared affordability crisis.”
MRN made a social media post that highlights case studies showing how corporate greed drives the affordability crisis. Bell Canada, for example, cut 6,000 jobs in two years but its CEO took home $13 million.
Gabriel Allahdua, former migrant farm worker and outspoken migrant rights advocate, said targeting migrant workers is done because it is simple.
“The government is just looking for somebody to blame, and who is easier to blame than the most vulnerable, the most marginalized,” he said.
Protests will be held in eight cities and are unified under the call to “say yes to immigrant justice, say no to racism.”
Alongside the MRN protests, an encampment has popped up on the side of a busy road in Brampton, ON. Many of the encampment protestors are international students who are concerned about whether they will be able to work in Canada upon graduation.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said it is naive to ignore the impact immigration has had on affordability. He asserted that people are being tendentious in their speed to link immigration to affordability issues, but the impact still exists.
“We can do this without calling eachother bigots,” Miller said in a scrum during the Liberal Party’s caucus retreat in Nanaimo. “We can do this in a context where we’re actually having a rational discussion about the national interests of Canada and whether we need to reduce immigration levels.”
Longtime migrant rights activists remain frustrated by the recent changes and continue to fight what they call the scapegoating of immigrants. Allahdua said the government’s recent move only plays into the hands of the far-right.
“The government is trying to play into the hands of these people in order to win votes and to basically please these people,” Allahdua said. “And what are these people all about? They’re expressing anti-immigrant sentiments.”
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
