News Release

Hundreds to mark Anti-Racism day calling for equal rights and permanent resident status for migrants and refugees

EDMONTON— Migrants and supporters will rally at the Alberta Legislature Grounds at 1:00pm on Sunday, March 19th to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and to call on Prime Minister Trudeau to ensure permanent resident status for all migrants and refugees, including undocumented people, as he promised in December 2021.

Over 1.7 million migrants across Canada grow food, take care of children, the sick and the elderly, and are essential to our communities but are denied rights available to everyone else because they don’t have permanent resident status.

Mostly in low wage essential jobs, migrants are also the hardest-hit by the affordability crisis.

An uncapped regularization program that grants permanent resident status (not temporary permits) to all undocumented people could lift half a million people out of poverty; give them the tools to protect themselves against abuse; ensure gender justice; unite families and correct a historic wrong.

With only a few weeks left till Parliament rises for the summer, any delay or an exclusionary program will continue the indefinite and ongoing exploitation of hundreds of thousands of our neighbours and friends. These actions are taking place in the lead-up to President Biden’s trip to Canada where refugees are on the agenda.  
Actions are taking place in Edmonton, Montreal, Sudbury, Toronto, Vancouver and Niagara Falls: https://migrantrights.ca/m19advisory/