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Today’s launch of the LCO commission report highlights the necessity for the government of Ontario to implement proactive steps to protect the over 60,000 temporary foreign workers in Ontario.The report echoes calls from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change to ban recruitment and placement fees for all temporary foreign workers. The banning of fees is the first step in regulating the run-away recruiter industry that is exploiting thousands of workers in the province. More recommendations from Metcalf Foundation here.

The commission heard first hand from migrant worked who demand an end to recruitment fees and protection from reprisals. It is imperative that the province takes the necessary steps to protect the provinces most vulnerable workers. We owe it to all the migrant workers who build our communities, put food on our tables and take care of our loved ones.

This is our letter to Yasir Naqvi requesting overhaul of Ontario’s recruiter laws.

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TORONTO, Oct. 31, 2012 /CNW/ – Syed Hussan, Coordinator, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change:

“Minister Kenney is giving 10,000 immigrants the chance for permanency residency through the Canadian Experience Class, the problem is there are 300,000 temporary migrant workers coming to Canada each year.  What happens to the other 290,000 immigrants?”

“These new levels of immigration and mix came out of closed door consultations and an unethical online survey process that most organizations were not invited to and most people in Canada did not participate in. We have a government in Ottawa that speaks of family values but is setting up immigrants to be scammed by recruiters, exploited by bad bosses, separated from their loved ones and then sent back just as they’ve begun to lay roots.”

“Most people in Canada believe that the point of immigration is to build a safe, secure community, not bring in temp workers who will be charged high fees, work in dangerous conditions, and be forced to leave when their arbitrary term in Canada is up.”

The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change comprises Alliance for South Asian Aids Prevention, Asian Community Aids Services, Canadian Auto Workers, Caregivers Action Centre, IAVGO, Justicia for Migrant Workers, KAIROS, Migrante Ontario, No One Is Illegal – Toronto, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Social  Planning Toronto, United Food and Commercial Workers and the Workers’ Action Centre.

SOURCE: The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change

For further information:

Syed Hussan
coordinator@migrantworkersalliance.org
(416) 453-3632

720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 223, Toronto, ON  M5S 2T9
www.migrantworkersalliance.org | www.facebook.com/MigrantWorkersAlliance

MEDIA RELEASE
September 17, 2012

New report exposes systemic exploitation of migrant workers through temporary worker programs

A groundbreaking report released today by the Metcalf Foundation highlights how Canadian immigration and labour policies are generating systemic exploitation of migrant workers.  The report echoes the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change’s (MWAC) call for urgent reform of temporary worker programs to address widespread violations.

Authored by lawyer and professor Fay Faraday, the report “Made in Canada: How the Law Constructs Migrant Workers’ Insecurity” argues that the most critical factor driving workers’ precariousness and exploitation is migrant workers’ temporary immigration status.

“This report reaffirms what migrant workers have been speaking out about for years. Temporary work programs force workers, particularly immigrants of color, into extremely vulnerable positions” said Chris Ramsaroop of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.  “Faraday hits the nail squarely on the head by arguing that migrant workers need immigration status on arrival and access to basic rights and protections.”

Among the recommendations outlined in the report are:

• All workers of all skill levels should have access to apply to immigrate and arrive with status
• Legislation must be extended to ensure all migrant workers have effective protection against recruitment fees
• Ontario should adopt a proactive system of employer registration and recruiter licensing
• Workers should be provided with open or sector-specific work permits while a legal dispute about their employment is ongoing

The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC) is a coalition of grassroots migrant worker organizations, community groups, unions, workers and community members that formed in 2009 with the aim of improving working conditions and protections for live-in caregivers, seasonal agricultural workers and other temporary foreign workers.

For more information:

Chris Ramsaroop –  Migrant Workers Alliance for Change
Tel: 647-834-4932

“The Conservative decision to legalize exploitation of migrant workers comes in a week of major changes in immigration policy all calculated to force immigrants in to more and more precarious work,” adds Chris Sorio from Migrante, a member of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “Bill C-31, cuts to refugee healthcare, changes to the spousal sponsorship and parents and grandparents sponsorship are all part of a strategy to keep immigrants in precarious job, with low wages that benefit no one but employers and corporations.”