The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is proud to support the hundreds of international students and their allies who are leading a permanent protest at the enforcement offices of the Canada Border Services Agency in Mississauga, in response to an exploitative education recruitment scheme that now threatens their deportation.
The OFL recently sent this letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Minister of Citizenship, Refugees and Immigration Sean Fraser; and Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino to echo the demands of the impacted students, along with the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change:
- End the deportations of the students affected and revoke their deportation orders;
- Stop any further revocation of work or study permits; and
- Ensure Permanent Resident status for all those impacted, either by approving humanitarian and compassionate applications, or by including these students in the promised regularization program by waiving inadmissibilities, based on misrepresentation.
The OFL encourages all affiliates, union members, and trade union activists to sign the online petition supporting the students, to send their own letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Ministers Fraser and Mendicino, and to visit the permanent protest at the CBSA office in Mississauga (6900 Airport Road, map).
“These students, through no fault of their own, have been targeted by unregulated recruiters who prey on young people with aspirations for a better life and educational opportunities in Canada,” said Patty Coates, OFL President, in her letter to the federal government. “They have already paid tens of thousands of dollars to study here and many work in essential frontline jobs that serve all our communities and the economy.”
The OFL applauds all those labour and community leaders who have already visited the protest or expressed their support online or in public statements.
“We are in solidarity with each and every one the students,” Coates added. “Their families, their homes, and their lives are here now, where they have worked hard to establish themselves and become part of our communities.
“We will be with you until you win these fair and reasonable demands.”
