There will also be calls to quickly implement a comprehensive legalization program for undocumented immigrants — a longtime demand that advocates say seems closer than ever to becoming a reality. Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said it’s an opportune time for Ottawa to heed his group’s calls for more access to basic rights for undocumented people in Canada. “We have a historic opportunity right now to right a wrong that’s been going on for many, many years,” he said by phone before heading to a planned afternoon rally in Toronto. “We want to make sure that Parliament is not delayed in any way.” Ottawa launched a legalization program during the COVID-19 pandemic for asylum seekers who worked in the health sector. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since expressed interest in expanding the initiative. A mandate letter from December 2021 asked Trudeau’s immigration and citizenship minister to “build on existing pilot programs to further explore ways to legalize status for undocumented workers who contribute to Canadian communities.” Speakers address the crowd at the Status for All rally in Toronto. (Patrick Swadden/CBC) Hussan said the program should include all undocumented people and argued that it should be the focus of the government as parliament prepares to return next week. “Prime Minister Trudeau has already said he wants to do the right thing. The question now is just getting everyone on board,” Hussan said. “We believe that equality is equality, any exclusion is discrimination, so every migrant worker or refugee, student and undocumented must be included.” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of an expanded legalization program for undocumented workers. Hussan said he expects thousands of people to attend the rallies and marches planned in 13 cities, including Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Fredericton and St. John’s, N.L. Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, says the group wants the federal government to implement a legalization program for all 500,000 undocumented people in Canada and secure permanent residency status for all 1.2 million immigrants with temporary status. (Krystalle Ramlakhan/CBC) Similar days of national protests have been held on the issue of immigration status, but Hussan said Sunday’s event is expected to be larger as momentum for the cause has grown in recent years. That’s partly due to the growing number of undocumented people organizing for more rights, he said, as well as the renewed spotlight on the disparities they’ve faced in key jobs during the pandemic. He said calls for status and legalization will give undocumented workers in Canada rights to support better working, studying and living conditions, as well as access universal health care. The measures will also give people more job mobility and improve working conditions, he said. Caroline Michael, an undocumented health care worker in Toronto, joined the calls for permanent status at a press conference organized by the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change earlier this week. She shared the challenges she faced as a refugee wanting to stay in Canada, as she was denied various applications and asked to pay for health care services. She said her struggles have affected her mental health, but she can’t take time off from the hospital where she works because of her condition. “I feel mentally trapped … I’m being tied up like someone in a prison,” she said. She called on parliament to extend the status to all immigrants, including herself and others working on the front lines during COVID-19. “Myself and others have been out during all the waves of the pandemic and still working to develop Canada. But we’re not robots. We’re human, we’re all human.”
