Protesters in Montreal pressure Ottawa to regularize migrant workers' status

At least 100people protested in downtown Montreal Sunday morning, calling on the federal government to put a comprehensive and continuous regularization program in place for refugees and migrants, who are the subject of "neglect" by the immigration system.

The event marked the launch of a week of demonstrations in Montreal and Ottawa, led by Solidarity Across Borders, to obtain better treatment for thousands of undocumented migrants.

Last year, Ottawa announced a regularization program for asylum seekers who worked in health care during the pandemic. Solidarity Across Borders maintains that this program, which is already full in terms of demands, excludes the majority of migrants, even those considered essential workers.

"We want full regularization for everyone, without exception because everyone is essential, whether it's people who have worked in the health sector or people in grocery stores, butcher shops or recycling pickup. They worked three times as hard, but they aren't paid as well," Mohamed Barry, a representative of Guinens unis pour un statut, who obtained his permanent residence last year, after eight years "of fighting."

Solidarity Across Borders says many find it difficult to pay rent and food, and others are forced to take "dangerous and poorly paid jobs." During the pandemic, "the undocumented migrants endured enormous difficulties."

"Because of our situation, we don't have access to health care, social assistance, or legal work. It's still the most important thing for a human being here, right?" said Samira Jasmin, a spokesperson for Solidarity Across Borders, who has been trying to regularize her status since arriving from Algeria eight years ago.

Symbolic humanitarian request

Next Sunday, activists and undocumented migrants from Quebec plan to meet in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office in Ottawa to present a symbolic humanitarian request for all people with precarious status in the country.

The Migrant Rights Network, a Canadian anti-racist, migrant justice alliance,recently revealed that the rate of rejection of permanent residence applications in Canada on humanitarian grounds has doubled since 2019.

"For those without status, the only way out is humanitarian demand," Jasmin said.

"It also expresses a little the despair of these people because they seek by all legal means to be able to have a normal life", added Adboul Kan of Solidarity Across Borders.

TheMRN found that 70 per cent of applications were rejected from January to March 2021 compared to 35 per cent in 2019.