Moncton joins cross-Canada demonstrations for migrant rights

Marching down Main Street in Moncton, N.B., with signs in hand, the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change joined eight other demonstrations across Canada this weekend in support of migrant rights across the country.

“We’re here to remind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and cabinet that we are watching closely and that we are here to tell them that we, as a community as a working class people, won’t allow politicians to keep scapegoating migrants and immigrants for the crisis, the economy crisis, the housing crisis,” said Sonia Aviles, who spoke during the event on Sunday at Moncton’s City Hall.

The group says they’re also calling on Trudeau to keep his promises and grant permanent resident status for all migrant and undocumented workers in Canada.

“Migrant rights cannot wait. We need action and we need permanent residence status now,” said Aviles.

About 20 people marched from Moncton's Riverfront Park up to Main Street before gathering at City Hall.

Multiple members took the microphone to share their stories and the reasons permanent status is needed.

“The consequences are that when people don’t have access to assert their rights, they are put in a vulnerable position,” said Aviles.

“They are easily exploitable and a lot of the employers and the government knows this. Workers are put in situations of abuse because if they don’t have permanent resident status, they cannot properly assert their rights.”

The goal was to raise awareness to the broader public, call attention to the scapegoating that they say is happening at a government level and put pressure back on the government.

They say it is a message intended for both the federal and provincial governments.

“We’re confident in organizing the workers to speak up to achieve these changes. We know that elections are coming soon and politicians are using migrants, they are scapegoating migrants to distract Canadians from the real issues,” said Niger Saravia with the alliance.

The group says migrants are being blamed for the current economy crisis, the housing crisis and the health-care crisis.

“For the provincial government, stop scapegoating migrants as a way to distract New Brunswickers from the real issues. Go back to work and fix the health-care system, fix the affordability crisis, fix the housing crisis, but stop blaming the migrants and immigrants and refugees because we are not causing this crisis.”

Saravia says more events and demonstrations are expected to take place across Canada in the coming weeks because “enough is enough” and they plan to stand together and speak up to support migrant workers in the country.

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