immigration

Bridges not Borders: ‘Asylum seekers are not criminals’

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Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

“The people slogging through the woods in the middle of winter trying to reach Canada are not criminals,” says Wendy Ayotte of Bridges not Borders, a Hemmingford-based organization that assists asylum seekers. “It is not illegal to cross an international border irregularly to seek protection.”

Speaking on behalf of the organization, Ayotte says she is quite disturbed by how people are being increasingly criminalized by the language being used by the RCMP and other local authorities, including those who collaborated with the RCMP to produce a flyer last fall that associates asylum seekers with cross-border crime and suspicious individuals and activities.

“We understand that the RCMP are in some cases saving people’s lives, and we appreciate the work that they do,” says Ayotte, but “Saving lives and criminalizing people does not have to go hand in hand.

Ayotte says there has been a significant uptick in the numbers of visitors to the Bridges not Borders website, which contains information for asylum seekers looking to come to Canada including details on the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which restricts refugee claimants coming from the United States from claiming status in this country.

Bridges not Borders is also a member of the Canada-US Border Network which has created a virtual legal clinic for people seeking safety at the border, called the Canada-US Border Rights Clinic. Ayotte says the clinic has also seen around double the number of people seeking legal advice. Often, the people reaching out are those who do not qualify under SCTA exceptions.

“It’s distressing,” she says, pointing out that those who are intercepted by the RCMP are brought to the Canada Border Services Agency, where their refugee claims are processed. “The high likelihood is they will be returned to the United States, as very few people will qualify under STCA rules – if any of them do,” she explains. Most will be detained in the U.S. and then possibly deported back to a place where they may not be safe.

Article 6 of the agreement does allow Canada and the United States the discretion to “examine any refugee status claim made to that Party where it determines that it is in its public interest to do so,” which means those who do not meet SCTA exceptions are not required by law to be returned to the United States.

Despite this clause, Bridges not Borders argues that the STCA is morally wrong and incompatible with international law. Under the agreement, Canada is required to regularly ensure that the United States meets international human rights standards. Ayotte questions how this can be the case, given the current U.S. administration’s radical position on migrants and immigration.

“Our overall position remains the same – that the STCA must be, at the very least, suspended,” she says.

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RCMP says search and rescue operations are happening more frequently

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Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

A family of four seeking refugee status was found by RCMP officers in a wooded area in the municipality of Havelock in the early morning of March 7, after they became lost trying to cross the border. 

The family had been walking in the woods for hours with their two young children when they called for help. Officers found the family huddled against a tree, suffering from extreme hypothermia and unable to move. They were transported to a hospital and are now in stable condition.

The family requested refugee status when they were found, and their case has been transferred to the Canada Border Services Agency.

This incident marked the eighth weekend in a row that RCMP officers have launched a search and rescue operation to find individuals who have crossed the Canada-U.S. border irregularly only to become lost in densely wooded areas between Hemmingford and Dundee.

Sergeant François Paquet of the RCMP’s Valleyfield detachment says that while there has been a “big drop” in southbound traffic, the number of migrants attempting to cross into Canada from the United States is steady.

“It fluctuates from week to week, temperature to temperature,” says Paquet, who suggests they have not seen a spike in “northbound” movement since the U.S. administration changed hands in January. He explains that the RCMP is prepared and will adapt if things change, but for now officers are focused on continuing their work along the border.

Search and rescue operations

Paquet admits this winter’s harsh temperatures and heavy snowfall has complicated some aspects of the job. He recently led a team of around 20 officers on a lengthy search and rescue operation in Hinchinbrooke on February 23. The United States Border Patrol (USBP) reported at least two people had been spotted heading towards the Canadian border between Powerscourt Road, Herdman Road, and the First Concession.

Officers first attempted to locate the individuals by tracking cell phone signals. When this did not work, they used a drone with thermal imaging technology. Blowing snow and poor weather conditions kept this option from working as well. They called in the air service for assistance and brought in an ARGO, or all-terrain off-road vehicle, to search the deforested area along the border called “the slash.” After spotting tracks in the snow, they abandoned the vehicle and entered the forest on foot. The Blackhawk helicopter was also called to join the search.

“It was a race against the clock,” says Paquet. “We know they are not well equipped for winter, and the safety of our officers and the migrants is very important,” he explains. “We want to find them before anyone gets hurt or dies of hypothermia,” he adds.

Eventually, officers found five individuals sitting against a tree about 100 metres from the First Concession. “They were tired. They were frozen. Some of them could not feel their feet,” says Paquet, noting there was a 14-year-old among the group. All five were arrested before being taken to the Hôpital du Suroît in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield for treatment for severe frostbite.

The RCMP quickly discovered that the group included two Canadian citizens and a family of three with no status in Canada. One of the Canadians is suspected of being an escort hired to bring the family through the woods, while the other was attempting to return to Canada after having illegally entered the United States. Officers also arrested the driver of a vehicle from Montreal who was found waiting for the family.

Officers seized over $11,000 from the family, which they determined would have been paid to the smugglers. The family, once rescued, requested refugee status.

‘We have had to adapt’

Paquet says it is not unusual that those found in the woods are transported to hospital. “We have seen people who were barefoot in the snow, and they had been walking for hours. No coats, in T-shirts. We have seen children barefoot, kids with aluminium foil on their feet,” he says, noting that migrants are now crossing in areas that are much more difficult to access, which hampers rescue efforts.

“Two or three years ago, we had people going to the police. They would cross the road and wait,” says Paquet, referring to Roxham Road. “Now we are in a situation where they don’t want us to arrest them or even find them,” he explains, adding that smugglers promise safe and easy passage across the border, which is “completely false.”

Paquet admits the RCMP has had to adapt its patrol and operational strategies due to the presence of smuggling networks. “In Valleyfield over the past year we have had more than 20 human smuggling cases that we have judicialized,” he says, noting they have made numerous arrests and seized vehicles, and large sums of money.

“We are in the process of developing experience and an expertise,” he insists, while pointing out this has meant working more closely with the local population. “We have done a lot of awareness-raising with people who reside near or along the border… We have passed out leaflets and business cards, and we will be posting signs with the RCMP’s telephone number,” he explains.

The federal police force is not able to share how often people call with information, but Paquet insists officers follow up on every tip. “We try to use a multitude of technologies at our disposal,” he says, noting they regularly patrol in marked and unmarked vehicles, and are now able to rely on air services including the Blackhawk helicopter.

Paquet says they have not been told whether the Blackhawk will continue to be used after the initial contract expires on March 31, but they are planning for the long term. “We have members who have trained for it and who have started patrolling,” he says, while suggesting locals should expect to keep seeing and hearing the utility helicopter overhead.

It is OK to help

Paquet says that in the event residents encounter someone they think could be a migrant, it is best to contact the RCMP as soon as possible, especially if medical attention is required. “Canadians have a duty to assist a person in danger,” he says, noting that depending on their level of comfort, locals can invite people into their homes while they wait for the RCMP, or provide warm clothing, blankets, and food.

“I can guarantee that every call will be taken seriously,” says Paquet. At the same time, he says officers are now familiar with the people in the area. He says they are aware of temporary foreign workers, of hunters in the woods, and increased activity in maple groves with the start of sugar season. “We adapt. We get to know our community. I think that’s the most important thing.”

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New Frontiers to reinstate francization courses

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The New Frontiers School Board (NFSB) is among the school service centres and school boards to receive additional funding to restart francization courses that were shuttered in November after government funds ran dry.

The Quebec government announced in early December that $10 million would be allocated to school service centres and boards across the province based on the needs in different regions.

According to Louisa Benvenuti, the manager of administrative and communication services with the NFSB, the board has been given an allotment for 13 full-time equivalent student places for French-language courses expected to run between January and March. This will allow the NFSB to register approximately 50 part-time students at the NOVA Career Centre in Chateauguay.

Benvenuti says there is a possibility the NFSB will be able to offer another round of courses accommodating around the same number of students from April to June.

The students will be referred to the NFSB by Francisation Quebec, a government-mandated agency established through the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation, et de l’Integration to oversee French language courses offered for free to newcomers to the province.

Francisation Quebec will prioritize students who are currently on waiting lists; however, Benvenuti suggests that past students attending courses through the NFSB may not be referred back to the board.

The Centre de Services Scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands was not included on the list of service centres and school boards to receive additional government funding to restart courses. As a result, the suspended francization courses being run through the Centre de Formation Générale des Adultes des Tisserands will remain closed for now.

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Multi-party campaign calls for wider access to prenatal care

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Multi-party campaign calls for wider access to prenatal care

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

In 2021, after years of pressure from immigrant and refugee advocacy groups, the Coalition Avenir Québec government passed a law allowing children born in Quebec to access public health care through the Régie d’assurance-maladie du Québec (RAMQ) regardless of their parents’ immigration status or RAMQ eligibility. However, that coverage only kicks in once they’re outside the womb.

On Dec. 4, Québec Solidaire (QS), the Quebec Liberal Party and several advocacy groups launched a renewed push to expand RAMQ eligibility to cover prenatal, labour and delivery care for all pregnant women, regardless of immigration status. As it stands, a woman who gives birth in a Quebec hospital and doesn’t have a health card or private insurance must pay thousands of dollars of hospital bills out of pocket – up to $100,000 or more if there are complica- tions, according to Médecins du Monde (MDM) Canada.

“If we want to protect our children, we have to protect their mothers, throughout their pregnancies and through- out the prenatal period,” QS immigration critic Guillaume Cliche-Rivard told reporters after tabling a bill that would expand coverage. “It’s a ques- tion of human dignity, equal opportunity, public health and prevention. A child, from the moment of birth, will be covered by the RAMQ, but during pregnancy, neither the child nor the mother is covered. We need to correct this incoherence which has a major impact on the lives of women and on society as a whole.” Cliche-Rivard and MDM national director Pénélope Boudreault, whose organization has long advocated for expanding RAMQ eligibility, argued that covering prenatal care would save the province money, because complications would be detected and addressed earlier. Boudreault said some new mothers at risk leave hospital earlier than they should to save money.

Not all Quebec residents without health coverage are undocumented – homeless people, people waiting for an immigration decision and some work and study permit holders are among those who may not have valid health cards. “More than half the women who come to see us for prenatal care work in health, social services and education and have work permits,” said Fernanda Gonzalez, a formerly undocumented mother who is now a peer support worker at the SPOT community health clinic in Saint-Roch. “We’re not tourists – we’re workers, students, spouses, mothers … and participants in Quebec society.”

“I had a lot of difficulties during my pregnancy because I didn’t have access to health care and because the immigration system is very complicated,” she said. “The financial burden and the stress that we have when we come out of hospital with a bill of thousands of dollars is unjust and it impacts our own health.”

Quebec City resident Andréa Mataragba-Nguiasset is a work permit holder who gave birth in August. She said she had a single prenatal care appoint- ment during her pregnancy – doctors generally recommend one per month during the first five months of pregnancy and more frequent appointments thereafter – and had to work until the day before giving birth because she was unable to see a doctor to be signed off work. “The government needs to realize that it is recruiting human beings abroad, and not just ‘labour’ – what I experienced is inhumane,” she said.

A petition launched by MDM with nearly 3,200 signatures was tabled in the National Assembly the same day by Liberal immigration critic André Fortin.

“Médecins du Monde welcomes the tabling of the petition and the bill, which reinforce the social and medical consensus of a hundred organizations and institutions in Quebec. Refusing pregnant women access to perinatal care because of their migratory status endangers their health and that of their children. We need concrete and immediate solutions for the health of all women in Quebec, without exclusion,” concluded Boudreault.

MNAs agreed to consider Cliche-Rivard’s bill. During Question Period, Health Minister Christian Dubé told MNAs he planned to establish a working group to “look at what was possible” in terms of expanding RAMQ access.

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Dubé wants to end health coverage uncertainty for Ukrainians

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Dubé wants to end health coverage uncertainty for Ukrainians

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Health Minister Christian Dubé has said the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government will not let Ukrainians fleeing war fall through the cracks in the province’s health insurance system, after many recently arrived Ukrainians reported difficulties renewing their health cards.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), at least 300,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada under two federal emergency programs designed to allow people affected by the war to find temporary safety here. Although IRCC does not keep track of where visa recipients settle after their arrival in Canada, Ukrainian community leaders in Quebec estimate that about 40,000 Ukrainians have settled in the province, 35,000 in the greater Montreal area and several hundred in Quebec City, Lévis and the surrounding rural areas. In light of the ongoing war, many Ukrainians who have settled in Quebec under the emergency measures have applied for work permit extensions or begun the permanent residence application pro- cess. Applicants subsequently learned that their work permit renewals were approved, but their provincial health insurance coverage would not be prolonged beyond early 2025, explained Olga Lacasse of the Alliance Ukrainienne de Québec (AUQ). They are now waiting for clarification from the Régie d’assurance-maladie du Québec (RAMQ).

“It left a lot of uncertainty, because paying for everything out of pocket is very expensive,” Lacasse said. “We have a lot of young mothers and senior citizens. At the beginning, [work permit holders] were told their work permit and their health coverage would be valid for the same amount of time. They had work permits valid into 2024 and 2025. They were told to apply for new work permits. They did that, and the validity of their work permit was prolonged, but not their health coverage.”

“Quebecers opened their homes and their hearts and their wallets to Ukrainians at the beginning of the war, and it was disheartening to hear that that support might be over … telling people they have until February to get things figured out,” said Michael Shwec, the Montreal-based head of the Quebec branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

An IRCC spokesperson noted that health care and health insurance coverage are subject to provincial jurisdiction. A spokesperson for the RAMQ referred a request to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).

On Nov. 20, Dubé posted on X, “We’re still in discussions with the federal government, but we would like to prolong their coverage. Quebec made a commitment to [Ukrainians] and we will keep it.” Further details were not available at press time.

Local community recognizes historic famine

On Nov. 23, about 30 members of the local Ukrainian community, including several recently arrived refugees, met at the newly established Ukrainian community centre in Beauport to honour the victims of the Holodomor, a Soviet- era engineered famine which emptied Ukraine of a quarter of its population in 1932 and 1933. Over three million people died, thousands of others were exiled and many who remained ate shoe leather and hunted crows to stave off starvation. Ukrainian communities around the world honour survivors in November by lighting candles, breaking bread and reading witness statements from survivors. This is the second time a ceremony has been held for the small and growing number of Ukrainians in Quebec City, explained AUQ cofounder Bohdana Porada. “It’s a wound that will never heal, but we survive and we remember.”

Several speakers made connections between the Holodomor, the 2014 Crimea conflict and the current war. Viktor Grayvoronsky, 84, a university professor from Kharkiv and grandson of Holodomor survivors, arrived in Quebec less than two weeks ago, after the apartment building he was living in was bombed. “There’s no famine now, but we still have our neighbours trying to kill us,” he said. “It’s just so sad.”

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Francisation courses cut in Lévis as Duclos raises funding questions

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Francisation courses cut in Lévis as Duclos raises funding questions

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The subsidized French classes offered at the Des Navigateurs adult education centre (CEAN) in Lévis have become the latest casualty of a dispute over funding between the Quebec government and several school boards and service centres which offer the courses, known as francisation.

The courses are funded by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) through the Ministry of Education and Higher Learning (MEES). The Centre des services scolaire des Navigateurs (CSSDN), which oversees the Lévis program, said in a statement that the program had received funding for the 2024-25 school year based on enrolment numbers from 2020-21, Enrolment numbers were far lower that year, owing to the fact that pandemic-era border restrictions had drastically reduced immigration, and classes at the time were still reserved for recent immigrants.

Like several of its counterparts in other regions, the CSSDN planned on the basis of current demand and hit a funding wall. More than 300 students were enrolled in francisation classes at CEAN this fall. As of this week, “two groups, about 30 learners, will receive training from now until June 2025,” the statement said. The other students will be placed on waiting lists.

The Centre de services scolaire (CSS) de la Capi- tale, which covers much of Quebec City, and the CSS des Découvreurs, in Sainte-Foy, announced similar cuts last week. According to teachers’ union representatives, similar cuts have taken place in the Montreal region, in the Eastern Townships, in the Lower St. Lawrence and in Abitibi, with the loss of dozens of jobs and hundreds of classroom places. The Quebec Liberal Party has called for Commissioner for the French Language Benoit Dubreuil to lead an inquiry into the cuts, arguing that Quebec is “breaking a moral contract” with newcomers.

“We are going to announce openings and increases in course offerings in the coming weeks, in the coming months,” Roberge told MNAs at the National Assembly on Oct. 30, without providing specifics.

Brian Gignac is the executive director of the Megan- tic Community Development Corporation (MCDC), a community organization which supports anglophones in the greater Lévis and Thetford Mines areas. “I think when the government starts cutting in certain regions, it was inevitable for this to happen in Lévis. Unfortunately, new- comers are left on their own,” he told the QCT. “From what we’re hearing, newcomers are extremely reliant on these classes … you might be one of the 30 people lucky enough to continue. If not, good luck. There have been a lot of people coming here for work over the years, and that’s a major blow to their whole integration.”

Gignac and South Shore English Network community development co-ordinator Olena Peleshok, herself a recent arrival from British Columbia who has benefited from francisation classes, said the classes were an important stepping stone into the labour market and into Quebec society, enabling newcomers to get jobs, make friends and communicate with their children’s teachers. They also were worried that the abrupt end to classes made it harder for families to plan.

“Now everyone’s just taking stock of what happened. … Will other groups be able to dispense the classes? How will everything be reorganized? I think it’s going to take maybe a few days or even weeks before we have clearer indications of what’s the path forward from now on,” Gignac said.

Duclos wonders where federal funding went

Early last week, Québec MP Jean-Yves Duclos wrote to Minister for the French Language Jean-François Roberge to formally ask how $775 million in federal funding for immigration and integration in Quebec had been spent.

“We sent $775 million, and the ministry invested $475 million, including $104 million in francisation,” Duclos told the QCT. “There’s a difference between $104 million and $775 million. … We continue to trust the Quebec government with these funds, but when we see classes closing, teachers being laid off and programs being interrupted, we ask questions and we don’t get answers.”

Roberge accused Duclos in a statement of “taking shortcuts that don’t help anyone.

“The real problem is the loss of control at our borders by the federal government. There are too many asylum seekers in Quebec,” Roberge wrote on so- cial media. “The costs involved are immense: health care, education, last-resort assis- tance, housing allowance, food assistance, legal aid, to name a few. Mr. Duclos should start by talking to his colleague [federal immigration minister] Marc Miller so that the $750 million promised by Justin Trudeau in June to compensate [the costs engendered by] asylum seekers is paid. The reality is that we have never invested so much in francisation.”

Duclos acknowledged that Quebec had received more than its share of asylum seekers in recent years, but said the proportion of asylum seekers in the province had dropped in 2024. “It’s normal that the Quebec government is asking for more, but we still signed an agreement for $750 million,” Duclos said, adding that asylum seekers “may need help [in the beginning] but in a few weeks, they find a job and feed their family and pay taxes like everyone else.”

No one from Miller’s office was immediately available to comment.

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Quebec freezes two popular immigration programs

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

On Oct. 31, Quebec Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration Jean-François Roberge announced an eight- month moratorium on two popular programs aimed at giving skilled workers and foreign graduates of Quebec universities a pathway to permanent residence and eventual Canadian citizenship.

At a press conference where he tabled the province’s 2025 immigration plan, Roberge announced that no applications for a Quebec selection certificate (CSQ) through Quebec’s regular skilled worker program (known by its French acronym PRTQ) or for the Quebec Experience Program for recent graduates of Quebec universities (known as the PEQ-Diplômés) would be accepted until June 30, 2025. Immigrants living in Quebec who want to apply for permanent residency – a prerequisite for citizenship – must first have a CSQ issued by the Quebec government.

A spokesperson later clarified that applications submitted before Oct. 31 would be processed; 3,090 applications for the PEQ-Diplômés and 9,261 applications for the PRTQ were being processed as of Oct. 1.

The moratorium, coming a few weeks after the government voted to give itself additional powers over im- migration, “gives us room to manoeuvre to carry out a thorough reflection for the next im- migration plan,” Roberge said. He also said the freeze would allow Quebec to keep the num-

ber of permanent immigrants for 2025 “controlled, at around 64,000 people,” adding, “If we hadn’t taken this courageous decision, it would have been around 70,000.”

Employers’ groups and groups advocating for foreign students reacted with alarm. “The issue of labour shortages is still a reality that is holding businesses back,” said Fran- çois Vincent, vice-president for Quebec at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “The lack of qualified employees is the number one obstacle to sales and produc- tion for small- and medium- sized businesses.”

“It’s true that we are facing pressure on housing and that it’s appropriate to adapt im- migration to the needs of the labour market,” Vincent went on. “However, given Quebec’s demographic profile and the need for labour, hasty decisions

that significantly reduce the level of immigration will leave their mark. There will be nega- tive impacts for employers, employers and the regional economy.”

Le Québec, c’est nous aussi (LQNA; “We too are Quebec”), a provincewide youth-led immigrant rights group, ex- pressed its “profound worry.”

“To be eligible for either of these programs, a person needs to show a certain level of French proficiency. Those who are eligible for the PEQ- Diplômés program, by defini- tion, are already in Quebec and have obtained a diploma from a Quebec post-secondary institu- tion. This freeze [is not] an ef- ficient measure to counteract the so-called pressure put on the system by immigrants. It … brutally slams the door on a number of workers already established in Quebec,” LQNA said in a statement.

“The announcement of the suspension of the [PEQ-Diplô- més program] sows concern within our international stu- dent community and raises many questions,” Jérôme Pel- letier, a spokesperson for Uni- versité Laval, told the QCT. “We hope this program will be put back in place as soon as pos- sible so people trained in our universities can contribute to the development of Quebec. A number of students choose to study at Laval in hopes of stay- ing here, and choose Quebec City and Laval because of the PEQ.”

The staff of federal MPs pro- vide free guidance to residents of their ridings who have immi- gration questions and are often the first stop for immigrants worried about their status or that of a family member. Québec MP Jean-Yves Duclos acknowledged the moratorium was “their [the Quebec govern-

ment’s] decision,” but said his staff was “hearing a lot of worries from people who want to make their lives here, who learned French, whose kids go to school here, who have good careers. They don’t know what to do. … We don’t really have a reassuring answer.”

Opposition parties panned the decision, with interim Quebec Liberal Leader Marc Tanguay saying it would deter talented foreign workers and Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, whose party has called for a target as low as 35,000, saying Roberge has “lost control of his targets.”

“Whatever we do in immi- gration, there will be people telling us we are welcoming too many and people telling us we aren’t welcoming enough, and that’s always how it will be, because we’re not extremists,” Roberge told reporters.

Quebec freezes two popular immigration programs Read More »

Crossings by migrants are on the rise in Hemmingford

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Eugenie Officer grew up along the border in Franklin. She now lives on a road adjacent to the Canada-U.S. boundary or line in Hemmingford. She says she had heard about people crossing illegally but had never seen anything until this past February, when a section of her rural road suddenly became a hot zone.

“It’s chaos,” says Officer – especially at night. “You see cars slowing down and people running!” she exclaims, noting people have been dropped off at her house while others have walked through her backyard towards the woods. With little else to do, she says she often calls the nearest RCMP detachment.

“I think only those who are experiencing this day-to-day understand the magnitude of the issue,” Officer says. “I really feel for the people being dropped off, because even though they know what they are doing is risky, I am not sure they are told how high risk it is,” she adds.

“They are being dropped off at the road. They don’t know where they are going. They don’t speak English,” Officer explains. “It’s shocking.”

She admits the last few months have taken a toll on her, both mentally and emotionally. At least once or twice a week, she comes across bags left behind. Recently, she found a diaper bag with bottled formula and toddler shoes. “Just knowing there are children going through this is heartbreaking. I understand this is not an easy issue to solve. It’s super multifaceted, and there is a lot going on,” she exclaims, “but it is out of control!”

Sergeant Charles Poirier of the RCMP agrees. He says the Valleyfield and Champlain detachments, which cover the territory along the border from Dundee to Lac Memphremagog, are especially preoccupied by the situation. “It is very rare that there is not an interception every night,” he states. On average, officers covering the Champlain sector are finding between 50 and 70 people per week. “That means at least five, six, sometimes ten calls per night,” he explains.

Officers are even busier on the American side, where the Swanton sector of the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) reports that agents are currently apprehending around 100 people per day. Poirier says the working relationship between the RCMP and the USBP has had to adapt, and the units now work closely together. “It’s a bit like cat-and-mouse, where if we arrive a few seconds or minutes too late and the passage was successful, we have to get information to the Americans quickly.” 

Poirier admits the sudden spike in southbound movement following changes to the Safe Third Country agreement in March 2023 caught the RCMP off guard. At first it was largely people of Mexican origin who were crossing, but new U.S. visa requirements have made this more difficult.

“What we are seeing now are people from India who arrive by plane in Montreal or Toronto,” says Poirier. Within hours, they are dropped off near the border, sometimes by taxi or Uber drivers, often with Ontario licence plates. RCMP investigations have determined that people are being recruited in India by networks of smugglers who charge upwards of a few thousand dollars per person.

The RCMP is now working with taxi associations and Uber, to ensure drivers are aware of the dangers associated with this work. “If there is a tragedy, the driver will have to answer some questions,” says Poirier, who suggests drivers have a moral responsibility, and depending on their level of involvement, a legal responsibility as well.

Poirier confirms the RCMP is also working to destabilize the networks, but they are especially agile, and the hot spots keep shifting. He says Canada’s legislative framework is also not helping. Customs and immigration laws allow the RCMP to detain, search bags, and question someone who enters Canada illegally, but in the case of individuals attempting to cross into the United States, there is very little that can be done.

Poirier explains that in most cases, the people they intercept in Canada have not committed an offence, even if it is very clear they intend to enter the U.S. illegally. “We have no choice but to let them go,” he says, noting this sometimes means officers will chase the same people several times in one night, because once an attempt to cross has been interrupted, the individuals will more than likely try again just down the road.

“It is not a question of capacity. We could have a thousand officers in the field, and it wouldn’t make any difference. It is really a question of the tools at our disposal,” admits Poirier.

Beyond collaborating with the USBP, Poirier says the RCMP also works closely with residents. “They are our eyes and ears,” he says. “But we also want them to feel safe and to not expect incidents will constantly take place on their property.”

Poirier asks that residents call 911 if they see anything out of the ordinary. “Don’t take it for granted that it is not an emergency,” he says, noting that while the border may seem nearby, disoriented migrants can walk up to 18 hours in circles. “There really is a need to intervene right away,” he insists.

Crossings by migrants are on the rise in Hemmingford Read More »

Migrant spring: Montrealers demand country-wide regularization

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Photo Sarah-Maria Khoueiry

Sarah-Maria Khoueiry
Local Journalism Initiative

Demonstrators mobilized in Montreal’s Parc-Extension neighborhood on March 17 for a protest organizers called the “migrant spring.” It happened in parallel with other protests all over the country organized by the Migrant Rights Network.

Attendees demanded the regularization of undocumented people living in Canada, and an end to the deportation and detention of those who don’t have status.

In December 2023, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced his intention to create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Speakers at the protest said they have been waiting for almost three years for a regularization program promised by the Trudeau government, and that Miller’s plan, though a step in the right direction, might not be inclusive enough.

“We demand a regularization program that is accessible and that is without exclusions, for everyone,” said Susana Ponte Rivera, an organizer with the women’s committee of the Immigrant Workers Centre. She emphasized the necessity of a collaboration between the federal and provincial government to allow for a better treatment of migrants. “As we march, we will never forget that Canada is a colonial state. No one is illegal in a colonial state.”

Quebec Premier François Legault has previously said that Quebec cannot accommodate any more asylum seekers. In a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 15, Legault asked for full power over immigration in the province—a request that was denied.

Ponte Rivera also highlighted the role of Canadian mining companies in Latin America in the “displacement of populations that cause people to migrate,” as well as denounced the new visa requirements imposed on Mexicans.

“It’s very ironic that in North America, in the land of imperialism, we value so much people doing the best they can to improve their living conditions, [following the] American dream, yet there is so much violent against migrants,” she said.

Some migrant workers brought up in their speeches the psychological and physical abuse they went through, citing the allegations of an airline caterer exploiting foreign workers made in October 2023. They emphasized how difficult it is to heal from these experiences and move on and asked for reparations and regularization for those who have been subject to labour exploitation.

In her speech, Ramatoulaye Diallo, the treasurer of the Conseil Central du Montréal Métropolitain, called for the immediate abolition of closed work permits, which she says facilitate abuse in the workplace.

“It’s like modern-day slavery,” said Diallo. “Let’s not be afraid of using these words. It’s systemic racism.”

One protester, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, denounced the use of immigrants as scapegoats to current provincial and federal crises.

“[Politicians] have cut back on spending on social fields, education, health, housing… for decades, and now it’s very convenient that these migrants, who have driven out of their homes because of the interference of the Western governments, are going to take the brunt of the attack,” they said. “It’s unacceptable.”

Many shared this sentiment as chants called for solidarity with undocumented people, and the recognition of the importance of migrant workers and refugees in society.

“[Canadians] might get something back from the refugees who became permanent residents,” said Gaurav Sharma, an organizer with the Immigrant Workers Centre. “They might build businesses and revenue will regrow, children will go to schools and become good citizens.”

Diallo echoed his thoughts, stating that migrants contribute to the cultural wealth of the country.

“Thousands of women and men work in essential sectors, in hospitals, take care of our children, sick people, and older people. [They] work in all sectors, but our strength lies in our solidarity.”

Migrant spring: Montrealers demand country-wide regularization Read More »

Montrealers protest decade-long waits for migrant status

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Protestors gather in front of the Minister of Immigration’s office. Photo Hannah-Scott Talib

Hannah Scott-Talib
Local Journalism Initiative

On Feb. 21, the Speak out: Status for All immigrant rights protest was held outside Minister of Immigration Marc Miller’s Montreal office, as part of an ongoing week of action led by various organizations. 

A crowd of roughly 50 people showed up, holding signs that read “regularization for all” and chanting ‘un statut pour toutes et tous,’ or ‘a status for all,’ throughout the protest.

According to event organizer Mostafa Hanaway, the protest was “part of a larger call to action” for the federal government to implement an inclusive immigrant regularization program. 

Hanaway is part of the Immigrant Workers Centre, which worked alongside the Migrant Rights Network and Solidarity Across Borders to make this protest happen. The regularization program, he said, was promised over two years ago by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but has yet to be adopted.

This program, which Trudeau addressed in his mandate letter to the Minister of Immigration in December 2021, promised to regularize all immigrants without status. Hanaway said that he and other members of the various immigrant rights organizations involved are looking to get a concrete definition of the program’s inclusivity — they are looking for a program that follows through with its promise to pertain to everyone, without exception.

“Not a program that’s going to be limited, not a program that’s going to be sectoral,” Hanaway stated. “That everyone will be included in the program.”

He further explained that the week of action taking place from Feb.19 to 23 correlated with the federal cabinet ministers being present in their ridings in Montreal. Throughout the week, protesters have been demanding meetings with each of the various federal ministers present in the city.

“People have been waiting under this promise and now we’re seeing deportations increase, we’re seeing a rise of detentions,” he said. “It’s really becoming much more precarious, and people are in a much more dangerous situation.”

One protester attested to this statement through her own experience. The protester, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, claimed that she and her daughter had experienced poor treatment from the federal government, despite having followed all the necessary steps to achieve legal status. 

“We fell out of status over a violent situation we went through, and we hired a lawyer, we followed the process, we followed the regulations that the government is setting,” the protester said. Despite this, after four years of struggling, her daughter’s application has not yet been approved. 

“My daughter is married to a Canadian — they just had their first baby just two months ago — and they want to deport her,” she said. “This is an inhumane and unacceptable behaviour from the government of Canada, given that it’s someone who is actually fulfilling all the [necessary] requirements.”

Another protester, Mariana Guadalupe Sanchez, expressed a similar situation. 

“[This protest] affects me a lot because I’ve been here 15 years and I’m still waiting on the government to give me my papers,” said Sanchez. She said she’s hoping for an actual response from the government that will lead to action that would help her and others in her situation. 

Immigrant rights organizations in Montreal are looking to keep consistent pressure until the federal government finally implements the regularization program, according to Hanaway. 

“We’re also going to be following up in the coming months as a set of actions between the beginning of spring until the summer — until the parliamentary session ends,” he said.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian workforce was led and supported by mostly immigrant workers, stated the anonymous protester. 

“I hope [the government] understands that this is not only because we support the economy but also because we are human beings and we are here, entitled to be recognized as people with rights,” she said.

Montrealers protest decade-long waits for migrant status Read More »

New study permit cap divisive amongst international students

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Photo Alice Martin

Hannah Vogan
Local Journalism Initiative

On Jan. 22, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a temporary two-year intake cap on study permit applications in Canada to “protect international students from bad actors and support sustainable population growth in Canada.” 

The government will only approve approximately 360,000 study permits in 2024, a 35 per cent reduction from the 579,075 approved study permits in 2023. With this new number, the IRCC will hand out a chunk of the cap to each territory and province for them to delegate the permits accordingly. As for the number of study permits accepted in 2025, the government will reassess the potential number at the end of 2024. 

Upon announcement of the new policy, IRCC minister Marc Miller justified that this cap is not against international students but to ensure the quality of education. According to the IRCC, these measures are enforced to correct the abuse of international students by institutions. 

Kareem Rahaman, an international student from Trinidad and finance coordinator at the Concordia Student Union, agrees that international students are being taken advantage of, “and part of me wants to believe that the government is doing this to prevent [taking advantage of international students].” However, another part of Rahaman believes this is a “genius political move” in which the government is shifting the blame on international students instead of taking responsibility for poor health care and the housing crisis.

“When resources are limited, and you let this amount of people in, of course housing and cost of living are going to rise. I mean, that is just bound to happen,” said Mitchell Mak. Mak is an international student from Hong Kong studying a double major in psychology and linguistics at the University of Toronto (UofT). Mak’s family has been considering immigration for a while, as Mak moved to Canada in grade 12. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with a country trying to protect its own interest,” Mak said. 

The IRCC will now require all study permit applications to be submitted with an attestation letter from the territory or province of the desired study. Territories and provinces have until March 31, 2024, to solidify a plan to provide student attestation letters.
 
The cap will not impact current permit holders or those pursuing elementary, secondary, master’s, or doctorate degrees.

The cap will not negatively affect Quebec, this new policy allows the province to—if it wishes—take in more international students. Although Quebec can potentially take in more international students over the next couple of years, the guarantee appears slim, given that international students who wish to study at English institutions in Quebec “will see their minimum tuition fees set at roughly $20,000” for the fall 2024 semester, in addition to an obligation to learn French. According to Concordia’s website, the university will keep fees at the currently published tuition rates for international students for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

The cap will, however, drastically affect Ontario and British Columbia, two provinces that harbour the top percentage of international students in Canada. 

Last year, Ontario accepted 300,740 study permits, 51.9 per cent of the entire 2023 approved batch; that number is also 83.5 per cent of what the government will approve this year nationally. B.C took in the second most international students last year, approving 108,535 permits, 18.7 of the 2023 batch, and 30.1 per cent of the 2024 cap. These provinces will receive about half their usual number of international students this year. 

For Sofia Solano, a second-year international student from Belize who studies commerce at UofT, Ontario offered a higher level of education that was not possible at home. 

It is undeniable that Toronto is pricey for Solano, “I have a scholarship for $100,000, and it is barely making a dent,” she said. Yet Solano sees this high cost as a cost of a better life, “it does suck that we get charged a ridiculous amount more than domestic students. But again, I just view [studying abroad] as something that needs to be done,” she said.

This policy also came shortly after Miller announced an update to the financial requirement for those applying for a Canadian study permit. Applicants will now have to prove they have $20,635 in addition to their tuition and travel fees to be considered. 

The cap also puzzles Solano as she begs the question: “If you can’t afford it, you wouldn’t be here. Right?” She believes the cap is not about saving students from exploitation but reducing the number of international students in Canada.

Still, Mak does not think Canada is obligated to carry the burden of “improving the quality of international students’ lives.” 

“(Especially) not at the expense of worsening your own quality of life in your own country,” he said. 

Solano has two sisters looking into post-secondary education in the U.S. and Canada and might be affected by this cap. “It’s sad because I feel like everyone kind of deserves a fair shot,” Solana said.

A previous version of this article stated that international student tuition will double for fall 2024. Concordia has announced that for the 2024-2025 academic year, tuition for international students will remain the same. The Link regrets this error. 

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