Organizing for justice for Migrant Workers in Manitoba
MWSN held an Information Fair & BBQ for migrant farm workers in Portage la Prairie in July 2019. Workers enjoyed a BBQ and received information on a variety of services and programs available, including those of the Portage Learning & Literacy Centre, Occupational Health Centre, Sexuality Education Resource Centre, and Portage Library.
MWSN participated in organizing this walk along with Development & Peace (Caritas Canada), the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and others. About 200 people participated in this walk and brought old shoes, life-jackets and backpacks as symbols of solidarity with migrants and refugees which they placed on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature.
MWSN members were thrilled to participate in the 1919 Solidarity Parade to honour the legacy of the Winnipeg General Strike. We encourage the labour movement to #UniteAgainstRacism and extend and deepen solidarity with migrant workers.
Reveals the Brutal Realities Faced by (Im)migrant Workers
Presented by Migrante Manitoba and Migrant Worker Solidarity Network on May 31, 2019 as part of the PTE Festival of New Works
Nanay invited the audience into the intimate experiences of the human costs borne by Filipino (im)migrant workers and their families in Canada. ‘Nanay’ (pronounced Nan-eye, meaning Mother in Tagalog), uses transcripts of interviews with Filipino migrants to Canada, their children, recruiters and employers to bring audiences close to the experiences of women who migrate to Canada to better the lives of their children and Canadians who rely on their labour.
Nanay was created by Conversation Collective – Caleb Johnston, Geraldine Pratt and Hazel Venzon.
Nanay was supported by:
The MWSN along with Immigration Partnership Winnipeg, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba, the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, and Migrante, have asked candidates in the upcoming Winnipeg City Council election to provide their position on an Access Without Fear Policy for the City of Winnipeg.
An Access Without Fear Policy ensures that all residents, including undocumented migrants, have access to all city services regardless of their immigration status. Many municipalities in Canada, such as Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Vancouver have adopted Access Without Fear Policies to reduce the barriers faced by undocumented migrants in accessing critical services. An Access Without Fear Policy is one of the recommendations in the Winnipeg Without Poverty Report, endorsed by over 90 community organizations. Read the rest of this entry »
This Canada Day we are participating with Amnesty International Winnipeg, the Canadian Labour Congress, Migrante Manitoba, and Reaching Out Winnipeg to help educate Winnipeggers about what refugees face on their journey to Canada.
Carol Sanders of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote about our Refugee Tent outreach:
Want to feel extra lucky to be a Canadian this Canada Day? Visit the Refugee Tent in Osborne Village on Sunday.
The digital simulation, hosted by non-profit groups, lets visitors experience some of the challenges refugees face on their journey to Canada. Participants put on virtual reality goggles for an interactive experience simulating the global displacement crisis.
CCPA Manitoba recently published “Our City’s Undocumented: A Case for Access Without Fear” by two MWSN members, Karen Hamilton and Krista Johnston. From that Fast Facts:
Reports about refugees walking across the Canada-US border beginning in the spring of 2017 renewed concerns about immigration policy and undocumented migrants in Winnipeg. In fact, the vast majority of migrants to Canada enter legally, through official ports of entry, and with documentation that is presented to and checked by border officials. Although walking across an international border is irregular, those who did so in 2017 were met by RCMP or Canada Border Services Agency officials, and their status as refugee claimants was both verified and documented. In short, these migrants did not enter illegally, their status as refugee claimants is legal, they are documented and their movement in Canada is tracked by border officials. But this does not mean that they have walked into all of the rights and entitlements of full Canadian citizenship. On the contrary: their status is legal but precarious, just as is the case for many of those who enter through Canada’s temporary work, student, and other immigration avenues.
You can find the entire report here.
The Canadian Council for Refugees recently released their new report cards on migrant worker rights in Canada. This project focuses on the approaches taken by provincial and federal governments to address problems with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The report cards are intended to identify areas for improvement for provincial and federal governments and to inform those concerned with migrant workers and the public.
From their press release:
“Migrant workers are taking on tough jobs here in Canada, but they are denied basic protections and are too often subject to abuse,” said Claire Roque, CCR President. “We hope these report cards will be a useful tool for decision makers to identify areas for improvement, and to learn about best practices from other jurisdictions.”
This series is an update to the original Migrant Worker Report Cards published in May 2013. Since 2013, some jurisdictions have taken laudable steps to improve protections and access to permanent status for migrant workers, while some have not. The project allows us to measure progress and change.
The report card for Manitoba looks at a number of different areas, detailing some successes and some areas where migrant worker rights could be improved.
MWSN created this infographic to explain how migrants, including temporary workers, become undocumented and the importance of an Access Without Fear Policy for the City of Winnipeg.
From the Canadian Council for Refugees / Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés:
Federal government must act for migrant workers
The Canadian Council for Refugees published today its recommendations for next steps to protect the rights of migrant workers in Canada, in the wake of the parliamentary committee report on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) recently concluded a review of the program and released its report on 19 September 2016.
“Now that the committee has tabled its recommendations, the government needs to act quickly to address the abuse of migrant workers in Canada by making fundamental changes, guided by the principle of protection of migrant workers’ rights,” said CCR president Loly Rico.
The CCR is calling for action on the following:
For more information, please read their full news release here, or the CCR response to the HUMA report here.