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Let’s talk about immigration Thumbnail

Let’s talk about immigration

This post is longer than usual. As part of our response to rising anti-immigrant rhetoric in Canada, we are sharing some educational resources. If you want to see a list of actions you can take, scroll down to the bottom.

I am an immigrant. I came to Canada 16 years ago as an international student, leaving my home, family, and community behind. Like many others, my family made big sacrifices for me to have access to a good education. My story is no different than that of hundreds of thousands of young people who make the difficult choice to leave their homes for better opportunities that will support them and their families.

But the reality is, many more do not have a choice.

The majority of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers coming to Canada are fleeing violence, forced displacement, oppression, economic and climate instability, and persecution. Every day, entire families embark on long, life-threatening journeys to reach safety and the promise of a better future. No one decides to leave their community and the land they are connected to lightly.

Recently, I have seen many headlines like these:

I’m not going to lie to you. Every time I read them or hear politicians blame my community for the very real crises we all face, it feels like a gut punch. It is impossible not to feel targeted, blamed, or discriminated against for the mere act of existing on this side of an imaginary line. To many, we are just numbers. But to us, this is deeply personal.

Recent polls have shown a big shift in Canadian public opinion about migrants and refugees. For the first time in over 25 years, a majority of Canadians think that the number of immigrants admitted to the country has gone from valuable to problematic. As of last fall, an Abacus survey showed that 1 in 2 Canadians believe immigration is harming the country. People, even those who have long held progressive values, are falling for the politicians’ and headlines’ lies. 

Let’s unpack why that is.

The culprits: corporations and the ultra-wealthy

Since the pandemic, more and more of us are struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. We are living through a crisis of inequality.

As more people struggle, the ultra-wealthy are richer than ever, and corporations are seeing record profits. Grocery CEOs are jacking up prices, and landlords are inflating rent. Meanwhile, corporate lobbyists and billionaires are working with politicians to keep wages stagnant and blocking policies like grocery price ceilings or rent control. 

It is clearer than ever that our governments — in the pocket of the corporate class — are failing us in the face of the cost-of-living crisis. But instead of addressing it head-on, and emboldened by people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk, politicians of all stripes, supported by mainstream media, have embraced right-wing narratives of blaming the wrong people and pushing exclusion and austerity.

The scapegoating of migrant communities is a distraction. We need to be honest and name the real culprits: corporate greed and bad policies.

The impact of scapegoating migrants

In Canada, migrants are the backbone of our communities — from healthcare to agriculture and everything in between. Net immigration contributed to half of Canada’s GDP growth from 2016 to 2019, and those numbers are likely even higher now. And statistics show that international students alone contribute over $31 billion annually to Canada’s economy. Without migrants, our economy and our systems would collapse.

And yet, many receive little in return. Contrary to popular belief, without residency status, migrant workers do not have access to Canada’s social safety net — including healthcare and employment insurance. This opens the door to unbridled exploitation, low wages, poor working and housing conditions, and discrimination.

There is a misconception that the Canadian immigration system is welcoming and easy to navigate and that newcomers have access to the same rights and services that citizens and permanent residents have. But the reality is that the system is designed to place expensive barriers that give more value to some people over others.

During the pandemic, we saw a rise in migrant worker deaths, which revealed horrible working and living conditions with little to no employer accountability. Between 2020 and 2021, there were at least nine deaths among migrant agricultural workers in Ontario alone.

According to Statistics Canada, from 2019 to 2023, hate crimes reported by police more than doubled — 44.5% of incidents in 2023 were motivated by race or ethnicity. Last November, we witnessed a terrifying scene: a dozen hooded and masked individuals in Hamilton, Ontario, gathered to rally behind the racist and xenophobic slogan popularized by Donald Trump: “mass deportations now.” Most federal party leaders did not speak up against this incident — and for our communities, their silence was deafening.

Many of us are feeling this rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric and hate in our everyday lives — on the streets, as we read the news, and when we scroll social media. It’s heartbreaking and a reality no one should have to face.

The rise of the far-right

Harmful far-right rhetoric is spreading across Canada. Politicians like Pierre Poilievre and Doug Ford have been following in Trump’s footsteps and launching attacks on marginalized communities like migrants, women, and queer and trans people.

Just like Trump, Poilievre wants to spread division and polarization. Despite clear data and research, he continues to lie by saying that “radical, uncontrolled immigration are partly to blame for joblessness, housing, and healthcare crises,” and has vowed to block temporary migrant workers who are “taking jobs from Canadians.” He and other conservative politicians have also been championing increased border militarization and deportations.

Liberals’ broken promises

Conservatives are not the only ones scapegoating migrants as a distraction. While Justin Trudeau and the Liberals have championed themselves as ‘progressive,’ they have openly embraced anti-immigrant narratives and policies. 

Like many of you, I was cautiously optimistic when Trudeau was first elected. In 2017, we applauded the Liberals for passing a law to end “second-class citizenship” — a Harper-era mandate that allowed the federal government to strip Canadian citizenship from dual nationals. Trudeau also vowed to explore regularizing hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers already in Canada who already contribute to the economy but are excluded from essential services.

But under pressure from right-wing forces, the Liberals quickly adopted the same talking points as the Conservatives. The federal government has not only walked back promises of permanent residency status and regularization, but more recently, they have also announced massive cuts to immigration programs. Over 2 million people — workers, students, and refugees — will lose permits under Trudeau’s immigration crackdown.

Now, in the face of Trump’s tariff threats, the Liberals agreed to invest $1.3 billion in border militarization, including the deployment of additional technology and personnel. $1.3 billion that could be directly invested in our healthcare, education, public housing, and transportation systems.

The housing crisis argument

The housing crisis has been at the center of the immigration debate in Canada. Cuts to immigration have been framed as a primary solution, but the reality is that housing shortages are a consequence of corporate greed, political inaction and a lack of investment in affordable, non-market housing. Real estate investors have turned housing into a machine for profit, making rents and home prices unaffordable for most people in Canada. Private investors and mega-landlords are exploiting market conditions to increase rents and drive up land costs, leading to skyrocketing housing prices that none of us can afford.

Reducing the number of migrants in our communities won’t fix this. Here are the facts:

  • Over the past thirty years, federal and provincial governments have abandoned responsibility for housing to the private sector. Federal spending dropped by 46% between 1990 and 2016, even as the population grew by over 30%.
  • The average rent in Canada went up by 20% in two years, from 2021 to 2023. In the same period the population grew by only 3.9%.
  • 1 in 5 properties across most of Canada are owned by corporate investors. 
  • Five of Canada’s major cities have large swaths of vacant residential land, and a 2021 report revealed that there were 1.3 million vacant homes in the country.
  • Most provinces and municipalities have weakened or removed rent controls that prevent rent prices from spiking.
  • When Poilievre oversaw Housing under Harper’s government, he allowed 800,000 affordable rental units to be sold off to corporate landlords and developers. During that time, the average home price in Canada went up 70%.
  • After WWII, the federal government launched an ambitious effort to build homes for Canadians. We did it before, and we can do it again.

The scapegoating of migrants is part of a global trend. But it is merely a distraction from the real issue: billionaires and corporations are lining their pockets at our expense, and they thrive off our division. While they profit, we are paying the price.

We all deserve dignity and justice 

Migrants are sustaining our communities and our most essential systems. Instead of blaming migrant communities, we need to push our governments to put people over profit and make massive investments in working-class climate solutions, public services, and housing. We all deserve to live with dignity and free from discrimination. This means full and permanent status for all and no cuts. 

I refuse to give up on the vision that recognizes that everyone deserves safety, good food, affordable housing, and the promise of a secure future. Canada — a country that was built on settler colonialism and white supremacy — has a long history of racism. But there is another history too: of people fighting for an equitable society that is free from hate and racism, where everyone is welcome, and no one is left behind. 

We need to step up and defend it.

What you can do

With hope and determination,
Nayeli Jimenez on behalf of Leadnow

Sources:

Banner photo by: Victor Yuen