The recent anti-immigrant demonstration in downtown Hamilton should be deeply disturbing to everyone; but what could an inclusive response look like in the face of xenophobic extremism?
Initial reactions to the far-right demonstration outside Jackson Square late last year on Nov. 9, 2024, where masked protestors held up a sign calling for "mass deportations now" were unified; hate has no home in Hamilton.
This message might ring hollow however, if instead of just words, we examine the actions of Canada as a whole. Far from out of place, in our current political climate, this anti-immigrant extremism seems right at home.
The current federal government is remarkably unpopular. Headed by a Prime Minister with dismal approval ratings, the federal Liberals have spent the last year attempting to claw back support they’ve lost to the Conservative’s 18-point poll lead.
While Prime Minister Trudeau has pivoted to address many of the Conservative’s main appeals, the housing crisis and inflation are much harder issues to address immediately. Reducing immigration numbers and preying on vulnerable people for approval is much faster.
Whether it be the dramatic rise in deportations, recent last-minute decreases to the number of new permanent residents, or the new cap on international students, the government has found a scapegoat in temporary residents.
The government is well aware of the risks these policies impose on temporary residents. Pushed into instability by a lack of documentation or the constant threat of losing it, temporary residents are at risk of exploitation. Many are having their wages stolen, being forced to work in unsafe conditions, or becoming victims of an epidemic of sexual harassment.
The bare minimum to ensure against these risks, as recognized both by migrant activists and Canadian experts, is permanent residency status.
Why then, in a political environment increasingly built on xenophobia from our two largest political parties, would anyone be shocked that protestors feel emboldened to call for mass deportations in downtown Hamilton? A more important question to ask however is, how can students change this reality?
Migrant issues are worker’s issues, as was succinctly pointed out in the Hamilton and District Labour Council’s response to the recent demonstration. Workers with citizenship have infinitely more in common with temporary residents working to survive than they do with Canadian citizens who get wealthy profiteering off of their exploitation.
Worker’s with citizenship have infinitely more in common with temporary residents working to survive than they do with Canadian citizens who get wealthy profiteering off of their exploitation.
Shut out from formal political power without a vote however, migrant activists are disempowered from engaging in the formal politics that Canadian citizens are granted a voice in.
These organizations, like the many affiliated with the Migrant Rights Network, or the Southern Ontario local Naujawan Support Network, do important, invaluable work organizing temporary workers to fight for their rights. These organizations do all of this despite their exclusion from formal politics in Canada.
More than half of current temporary residents in Canada are international students, or graduates here on postgraduate work permits. Students with citizenship have the unique ability to bridge two worlds inclusively and productively.
By helping to connect international students to organizations best capable of supporting them and developing ties with these organizations to advocate on behalf of their concerns at local, provincial and even national levels, students can build political relationships and work in solidarity for a more inclusive Canada.
Campus organizations of NDP students for instance, are granted voting delegates to NDP conventions, where that party, which at least claims to represent workers, votes on important policy matters and the future of the party.
With student’s adamant support, there could be at least one federal party that actively supports temporary resident’s needs in direct collaboration and dialogue with them. By establishing themselves as an interface between these important organizations and a powerful party, student’s may be able to affect change.
All is not hopeless. The Hamilton and District Labour Council’s response to the recent demonstrations illustrate the willingness of other organizations, with power both inside the NDP (local labour councils are also granted voting delegates) and within the local community to stand up for the rights of temporary residents. The recent rise in xenophobia is not inevitable nor undefeatable.
Migrant issues are labour issues. By working in concert with both migrant workers and the political infrastructure of Canadian labour, caring students make a difference. Our attention and advocacy can matter and we must amplify our voices to ensure it does.
On Oct. 23, the provincial government officially scrapped Bill 148, which had called for a rise in minimum wage to $15 in 2019, in addition to a number of protections for workers. Premier Doug Ford claims that Bill 148 was “too much, too fast” and a “job killer.”
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has opposed the labour reforms and further minimum wage hikes, arguing that the recently instituted higher minimum wage has hurt small businesses and the overall economy. However, the government did say that the minimum wage will stay at $14 an hour for 33 months.
Fight for $15 and Fairness, a prominent province-wide labour rights advocacy group, has strongly opposed this announcement. The organization’s McMaster chapter has been active in raising awareness about the current situation.
Fight for $15 and Fairness McMaster organizer Chloe Rockarts said that having a relatively high minimum wage has been beneficial both for students and for university workers such as food staff.
Rockarts also stressed that if the bill is scrapped, there will be more consequences beyond just affecting minimum wage workers, citing the “equal pay for equal work” principle and paid sick day provisions as examples.
“For those that are not necessarily in those workplaces where people are getting paid minimum wage do not see it directly affecting them, but what we would like to do is focus less on the ‘15’ aspect and more on the fairness,” said Rockarts.
McMaster labour studies professor Stephanie Ross echoed many of the same concerns, adding that the minimum wage increase has resulted in an improved economy.
“We see job growth in those provinces that increased their minimum wage,” said Ross. “The negative effects of repealing Bill 148 will be serious for Mac students, as people most likely to work in minimum wage jobs and who are struggling to make and save money for tuition and living expenses.”
To push back against the minimum wage freeze, Fight for 15 McMaster held a rally at Jackson Square as part of a province-wide “day of action” to support Bill 148 and the scheduled wage increase. The next day, they held a bake sale to promote discussion on the topic.
“We are just trying to raise awareness around all of these things right now,” said Rockarts. “Generally, a lot of the campaign work that we do is focused on outreach.”
Beyond outreach, they are planning on contacting local MPPs to urge them to support the bill.
The bill was planned to be fully implemented in 2019. In January 2019, certain scheduling protections for employees along with the minimum wage increase were scheduled to come into effect.
Despite the sealed fate of Bill 148, Rockarts is feeling optimistic about Fight for 15 McMaster’s campaign this year so far.
“This is our third year and we are only getting bigger and doing more,” said Rockarts, who notes that the group has seen increased engagement since the implementation of Bill 148 and the election of Doug Ford.
“Because it has been in the news so much, and because people are being directly affected at work, people are way more interested and way more willing to engage,” said Rockarts.
While the provincial government goes forward with their plan to cut Bill 148, it remains increasingly clear that they face immense opposition.
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