The issues facing migrant workers
There’s no returning to normal after COVID-19, labour advocate says
The issues faced by Canada’s migrant workers aren’t new, but COVID-19 has amplified them and brought the issue under the microscope in recent weeks.
In Windsor-Essex, the last region in Ontario yet to move to stage two of the province’s reopening plan, the spread of the virus through agri-food workers has led to the deaths of three people, with hundreds more falling ill.
Speaking to the Star Thursday, Syed Hussan, the executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance For Change, said that systemic inequality for migrant workers means a lack of even the most basic of support. On Saturday, Hussan’s group, alongside the Workers’ Action Centre, will be rallying nationwide to call for broad support for the country’s migrant workers.
The groups are calling for full immigration status for nonpermanent residents, so that migrant workers can protect themselves during the pandemic.
Who is classified as a migrant worker?
Migrant worker refers to anyone that is a non-permanent resident of Canada, such as those who are temporary foreign workers, undocumented workers or international students in low-wage positions, Hussan explained.
“For us, when we’re saying migrants and migrant workers, we’re actually talking about all non-permanent residents in the country. That means temporary foreign workers in the agricultural sector or domestic work,” as well as working refugee claimants, he said. “The reason for that is that all of these people are coming into the country with temporary status — and most of them don’t get them resident status.”
By not securing permanent resident status, workers end up shut out of services and are unable to assert their basic rights, Hussan said.
Around 750,000 temporary permits are being issued each year, he said. “Many of them can’t renew those permits, many of them can’t get permanent resident status and so they then become undocumented.”
What issues do migrant workers face?
The rights afforded to permanent residents Canadian citizens are largely non-existent for migrant workers.
Seeking health care is particularly challenging. “If you’re undocumented, you have no access to health care. If you’re a migrant, you may not have it for three months. You may not have it while you’re renewing permits,” Hussan said, noting his network is aware of people who are undocumented giving birth at home because they couldn’t afford hospital fees.
Additionally, workers do not have access to high-paying jobs and are working in precarious, low-wage positions. There are virtually no paths to complain about unsafe working environments and labour rights typically do not extend to migrant workers.
“They are excluded from labour rights and protections in most cases. And because of the temporary immigration status, speaking out against a bad boss is dangerous. It can mean deportation. It can mean homelessness, it can mean that you’re being kicked out of the country,” Hussan said.
Migrant workers might be paying into EI or CPP, but are unable to access the services linked to those payments.
Beyond that, many migrant workers are separated from family and cannot visit with them. “They can’t visit their families. Sometimes you’re separated from your children for (up to) 25 years,” Hussan said. “All of this creates a situation of grave instability and precarity, which has a substantial deteriorating effect on your personal emotional health and well-being of your community.”
How has COVID-19 made these situations worse?
The pandemic has had “disastrous” consequences for Canada’s migrant workers, Hussan said. “First and foremost is that the shutdown of the economy and the lack of access to any of them or most of the emergency income supports meant that people started starving.”
Some workers have missed paycheques for four months, meaning that they need loans from friends or community members. Meanwhile, fees have not gone down. “Tuition, for example, for international students has gone up. Domestic workers have (been) trapped in the family’s homes,” he said.
“Where you are working, your work is intensified. You’ve been locked down, but many other people have lost working wages. So it’s basically created a spiral of a crisis, which is impossible to recover from. There’s no return to normal.”