Communist Party calls for halt to “race to the bottom”
The Communist Party of Canada has released a hard-hitting statement condemning the federal government’s recent decision to end work permits for tens of thousands of migrant workers.
“This cruel and calculated move exposes the harsh reality of the super exploitation that underpins Canada’s immigration regime – a system designed not to protect the rights of migrants but to exploit them as cheap, disposable labour for the benefit of big business,” said the Party. “We stand in full solidarity with all migrant workers, international students, and their families who are now facing uncertainty, exploitation and deportation as a result of these policy changes.”
Across Canada, international students are courageously organizing actions against their poor treatment in this country. Many of these students, predominantly from India, are facing deportation after being lured here by false promises of education, work opportunities and pathways to permanent residency. These promises have been betrayed by a government that prioritizes corporate profits over the lives and dignity of the people who fuel its economy.
“The Trudeau government has tried to sell its immigration policies as welcoming and inclusive, but in reality, they represent a deliberate attack on migrant workers,” says the Communist Party. “The federal government’s decision to expand and then retract work permits for migrant workers is not the admission of a mistake or a policy blunder – it is a calculated move in the interest of capital. When big business needed more labour, the government opened the doors to temporary workers and international students, making promises it had no intention of keeping. Now, as economic conditions shift, these workers are being discarded – many facing deportation, while others remain trapped in precarious, low-wage jobs without access to full rights.”
People in Canada are fed a “national mythology” that the country’s immigration system is based on human rights, justice and equality. In fact, it is designed to serve the needs of capital by providing a steady supply of cheap labour to key sectors of the economy. This reality explains why temporary migration streams have been expanded in recent years, while pathways to permanent residency have been restricted.
Today, nearly 2 million workers in Canada do not have full permanent resident status. Whether they are international students, temporary foreign workers or non-status migrants, they are denied full workers’ rights and are often cut off from healthcare, social services and labour protections. They are often forced to work in unsafe conditions for poverty wages, with little recourse against exploitation and abuse.
“This situation is not accidental,” says Ontario Communist Party leader Drew Garvie. “The immigration system is deliberately set up to maximize exploitation by creating divisions within the labour market based on racialization, nationality and immigration status. These divisions in labour depress wages and working conditions for all workers. This system is rooted in xenophobia and racism, and it is designed to pit workers against each other in a race to the bottom.”
Garvie says that, in the case of migrant workers and international students, many have been lured here by the false hope of securing a better future, only to find themselves trapped in a system designed to keep them in a state of perpetual vulnerability.
The Communist Party calls for the abolition of temporary worker programs and their replacement with a system that respects the dignity and rights of all workers. “Canada must provide a clear path to citizenship for all workers, regardless of their immigration status. Every worker in Canada should have the right to join a union, be protected by employment standards legislation, and have full access to healthcare, education and social services.”
The struggles of migrant workers and international students in Canada cannot be separated from the broader context of global imperialism. Many of the people who come to Canada – whether as students, workers or refugees – are fleeing conditions of violence, instability and economic hardship in their home countries. In many cases, these conditions have been directly caused by the actions of imperialist powers, including Canada.
The Canadian government has been complicit in creating the very crises that force people to migrate. From Canadian-backed coups in Haiti, Ukraine and Honduras to the bombing of Syria and Libya, Canada has played a role in destabilizing countries and driving people to flee their homes. These imperialist interventions have resulted in political persecution, economic collapse and widespread violence. The Trudeau government’s continued diplomatic support for the genocide in Gaza is yet another glaring example of how Canadian foreign policy contributes to the suffering of people around the world.
As a result of these kinds of policies, millions of people around the world are forced to leave their homes in search of safety and opportunity. “Canada has a moral responsibility to welcome these migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, particularly those fleeing the violence and instability that the government of this country helped to create,” insists Garvie. “But instead of providing refuge, Ottawa is closing the door on those most in need, offering only a limited number of resettlements while continuing to support imperialist interventions abroad.”
The Communist Party – along with a broad range of organizations advocating for migrant workers, international students and immigrant rights – is calling for immediate and comprehensive democratic immigration reform.
The Party’s demands include immediate status for all migrant workers, international students and non-status residents in Canada, so that no worker lives in fear of deportation or is denied basic human rights because of their immigration status; a clear path to permanent residency and citizenship for all workers, regardless of class; abolition of all temporary worker programs, which are designed to exploit and dehumanize migrant workers, and their replacement with a system that guarantees full rights and protections for all workers; and full access to healthcare, education and social services for all residents of Canada, regardless of their immigration status.
In addition, the Communist Party is campaigning for an end to Canada’s participation in imperialist wars, coups and interventions, which force people to flee their homes. This includes ending Canada’s involvement in the destabilization of countries like Haiti, Ukraine and Honduras.
[Photo: Migrant Rights Network]
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