Say NO to Racism and Exploitation

This week, the United Nations Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Professor Tomoya Obokata, released his final report in which he reiterated that Canada’s immigration systems are a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery” and that “the structural precarity for temporary foreign workers would be mitigated by systematically providing workers with a pathway to permanent residence.” [1]

The UN Special Rapporteur echoed our  demand for Status for All, saying, “clear status for all migrant workers would provide them with a secure footing on which to enjoy the full spectrum of their human rights, while continuing to contribute to Canadian society.”

The UN is speaking up, now, we need YOU to take action.

For over a year now, politicians and the media have blamed migrants and immigrants for the housing and affordability crisis. In response, the federal government has focused on imposing restrictions on the numbers of migrants and their family members, as well as making it harder for migrants to become permanent residents.

The UN rapporteur pointedly condemned this focus, saying, “the recent policy shift to reduce the number of temporary residents will not address the challenges faced by those who continue to enter through the same programme”

The United Nations special rapporteur also called for Canada to “regularize workers who have lost status” – a promise made by PM Trudeau in December 2021, on which Immigration Minister Marc Miller has recently begun to backtrack in response to rising xenophobia.

We must unite against racism and take action for immigration justice. Join or organize an action in your city on September 14 or 15, 2024: www.MigrantRights.ca/Sept 

This report arrives on the heels of racist riots in the UK where violent mobs harassed and attacked those they believed to be migrants, even attempting to barricade and set fire to two hotels with migrants living inside. We’ve already seen the kind of rhetoric behind the violence in the UK within Canada, with “Canada First” rallies occurring across the country on Canada Day.