We are now the Centre for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia (CMWR NS)
We are excited to announce that we have a new name. No one is illegal - Nova Scotia (NOII-NS) is now the Centre for Migrant Worker Rights Nova Scotia (CMWR NS). This name change better reflects the work we're doing, and marks a new phase in our work as an organization. Read on to learn more about this change.
When we initially relaunched NOII-NS in 2019, our key aim as an organization was to work in solidarity with migrant community members. In 2020, we began to do outreach and engage in relationship-building with migrant farm workers in the province and launched our Migrant Workers Program the following year. Since then, our work with migrant workers throughout the province has become the main focus of our work. From 2021 to the present, we have successfully reached over 6,000 migrant workers through support services, outreach initiatives, community events and rights-based educational activities. The decision to change our name arose from a desire to better capture and communicate the work we’re doing. We chose the name CMWR NS after engaging in numerous discussions with migrant workers, staff, board members, and other volunteers.
We incorporated as a non-profit organization under our new name in January 2024. This is an important step for the following reasons:
This move allows us to strengthen our organization and ensure the long-term sustainability for our work.
Migrant workers regularly tell us that for the first time in their many years of coming to Nova Scotia, they now feel like there is an organization watching out for them. As the first and only organization in Nova Scotia dedicated to supporting and advocating for migrant workers' rights, CMWR NS fills a critical gap in labour and human rights in the province.
The demands for our work continue to grow. While our work initially began with migrant workers in the agriculture and seafood sectors, we are increasingly receiving requests for support from migrant workers in other industries.
In 2023, we accomplished a lot (read more here). We look forward to continuing and expanding our work to advance migrant workers rights, equality and well-being in Nova Scotia, guided as always by the principles of mutual aid, solidarity, anti-racism and anti-oppression.
If you would like to get involved with our work, please contact us at our new email address migrantworkerrights.ns[at]gmail.com about volunteering, or consider making a one-time or monthly donation to sustain our work here.
