These changes are effectively a mass deportation. These rules will tear apart families, friends and communities across the country. Migrant workers pay tens of thousands of dollars to come to Canada and work at minimum wage jobs to provide an opportunity for their family; so that their children can go to school; and to have a better life. The 4 & 4 rule strips away migrant workers’ dignity, forces workers already in precarity into further uncertainty, and imposes discriminatory and arbitrary barriers on how long workers can stay here.
Working in Canada for four years proves that the workers are needed, and that their work is permanent. These friends and community members deserve permanent residence, not deportation. This 4 and 4 rule entrenches a revolving door immigration policy, employers can simply replace current with new workers.
We are writing to you today to join the Campaign! There are two ways to get involved:
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Become a Campaign Organizer: This is for groups working directly with migrants across Canada that support the demands below and want to do public education, worker education and mass actions against the 4 & 4 rule. Please email back the person who sent you this letter and no4and4@gmail.com to join the Campaign so you can be invited to our organizing conference calls.
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Endorse the Campaign! Unions, community, faith based and other allied organizations that support the demands below: Help us get the word out, get petition signatures, and mobilize your members to come to mass actions. Please email back the person who sent you this letter and no4and4@gmail.com by February 27th to be listed as an endorser on the first round of materials.
DEMANDS
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An end to the 4 & 4 rule so migrant workers can continue to work here.
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Grant migrant workers in Canada permanent residency.
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Ensure migrant worker access to all social benefits and entitlements
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Enact legislation to grant permanent residency for all migrants upon arrival.
INITIAL ACTIONS: Pickets, rallies creative actions are planned in Edmonton, Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto and Vancouver between Feb 28 and March 4th. Join the campaign if you can organize an action in your city.
These actions will culminate in mass rallies across the country between March 29th and April 01, 2015. Details to be announced.
Campaign Against the 4 Year Limit on Migrant Workers is comprised of migrant worker groups and community organizations across Canada. Members as of February 21, 2015 include Fuerza Puwersa (Guelph), Migrant Workers Alliance for Change*, Migrante Alberta, No One Is Illegal – Vancouver, Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture (Okanagan Valley) and Sanctuary City Hamilton.
*Migrant Workers Alliance for Change includes Alliance of South Asian Aid Prevention (Toronto), Asian Community Aids Services (Ontario), Caregivers Action Centre (Ontario), Industrial Accident Victims’ Group of Ontario, Justicia for Migrant Workers (Ontario), KAIROS Canada, Legal Assistance of Windsor, Migrante Ontario, No One Is Illegal – Toronto, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Social Planning Toronto, UNIFOR (Canada), United Food and Commercial Workers (Canada), Workers United and the Workers’ Action Centre (Toronto)