EXTENDED – Permanent Residence for “Out-of-Status” Construction Workers in the GTA, 2024
January 3, 2024
Update The Permanent Residence for “Out-of-Status” Construction Workers in the GTA Public Policy will be in effect for an additional six (6) months from January 3, 2024, and ending on July 2, 2024. The 2024 change only affects the time period of the program, but all program criteria conditions, and the 1,000 principal applicants cap since the launch of the…
Canada’s unions: Migrant workers in Canada deserve equal rights, protections
December 18, 2023
Canada’s unions are marking International Migrants Day by calling for greater protections and improved conditions for migrant workers engaged in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). Thousands of workers come to Canada each year to work through the TFWP; Statistics Canada reports that temporary foreign workers represented around one-quarter of all agriculture workers in 2021. Many of these workers face…
International Migrants Day: Canada must do more to help undocumented people secure their rights
December 18, 2022
Canada’s unions are urging the federal government to be ambitious in developing an inclusive and comprehensive regularization program for undocumented people that includes protections to ensure their safety. An estimated 500,000 undocumented people in Canada live under constant fear and threat of abuse and exploitation due to their immigration status. They frequently face racism, discrimination and wage theft, work in…
Canada’s unions calling for greater protections and supports for migrant workers
December 17, 2021
Canada’s unions are marking International Migrants Day by calling for improved conditions for migrant workers in this country, particularly in the face of the ongoing climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent state of emergency in British Columbia (BC) is the latest example of the clear and increasingly disastrous impacts of our global climate crisis. Communities across the province…
Federal government must take immediate action to protect migrant workers from COVID-19
December 10, 2021
The Auditor General released a scathing report yesterday on the alarming lack of protective measures for migrant agricultural workers in Canada. The findings of the report verified the concerns that Canada’s unions have raised repeatedly since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the more than 79,000 workers migrant workers who have…
Canada’s unions condemn anti-Asian racism and urge solidarity with Asian communities
April 30, 2021
This Asian Heritage Month, Canada’s unions are standing in solidarity with Asian workers and communities by calling for an end to anti-Asian racism. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified historical xenophobic, anti-Asian sentiment and rhetoric, which has resulted in increased violence against members of Asian communities. Live data from Fight COVID Racism shows that from March 10, 2020 to mid-April 2021, there…
Canada’s unions welcome increased federal immigration targets
October 30, 2020
Ottawa – Canada’s unions are applauding the federal government’s announcement today that it plans to welcome more than 1.2 million immigrants to Canada over the next three years. The proposed plan will bring skilled workers, family members and refugees to Canada between 2021 and 2023. “For many years, Canada’s unions have called on the government to increase immigration targets. We…
Canada’s unions say marginalized workers must not be forgotten during pandemic
March 20, 2020
Canada’s unions are marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by calling on the federal government to protect the rights of marginalized workers and refugees as part of its COVID-19 response. Migrant workers, undocumented people, people living on low-incomes, international students, racialized workers and refugees are particularly vulnerable to the health fallout of the current pandemic, as…
Canada’s unions applaud pilot project offering greater protection to migrant workers
July 12, 2019
Canada’s unions welcome a new three-year agri-food pilot program which will provide an additional 2,750 permanent residency opportunities for temporary foreign workers engaged in the sector, particularly in the meat industry. The proposed program, announced today by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, is open to full-time non-seasonal agricultural migrant workers and will help give them a pathway to permanent residency. “The…