Press Release: Trudeau’s immigration cuts scapegoat migrants

Halifax, Nova Scotia (October 24, 2024) – Today, the Trudeau government announced significant cuts to permanent resident targets for Canada over the next three years. For the first time, targets for temporary residents are also being included in their plan. This follows a series of announcements by the Trudeau government to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada, including low-waged migrant workers. 

In 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau made a mandate letter commitment to a regularization program for undocumented people and permanent resident status for migrant workers and students. Earlier this year, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery Tomoya Obokata called Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery” and urged the Government of Canada to provide a clear pathway to permanent residency upon arrival for migrant workers. Instead, these recent changes will mean reduced access to permanent residence for migrants. 

In an October 24, 2024 press release, the Government of Canada claims that their new plan “alleviates pressures on housing, infrastructure and social services.” 

“These changes unfairly blame and punish migrants. Migrants build communities and bolster the economy. They fund services like healthcare through their taxes, and yet in places like Nova Scotia they are excluded from healthcare coverage. We need real solutions, not more smoke and mirrors,” said Stacey Gomez, Executive Director of the Centre for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia, which is a member of the Migrant Rights Network. 

Over 100 organizations have penned an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warning the government that slashing permanent immigration will force more migrants into temporary and precarious situations, further entrenching their exploitation and worsening conditions for all workers. The letter, signed by nearly every major civil society group in Canada, shows that there is a unified consensus in Canada to expand, not reduce, permanent residency programs, abolish closed work permits and ensure regularization. Read the letter here.

The Migrant Rights Network and its allies are calling on the federal government to immediately reverse this decision and chart a new course that grants equal rights for all migrants. This includes ensuring permanent resident status for everyone, expanding protections for workers, and upholding human rights for all.