 Good afternoon everyone and once again thank you so much for joining the webinar this is the fifth of the series of you know the migrant justice webinars that we started towards the end of March and so far we were able to you know together people like you who are interested in the topic but also gave space to migrant workers and document workers who are facing a lot of challenges and barriers during this time so this is you know this is very very important and also very rewarding in terms of you know migrant workers being able to speak but also people like you who are willing to listen and also to take action so for today's webinar we're going to be talking mostly about you know the action that we needed to take in in support of you know the migrant workers who are who are here in Canada mainly the denounced status or undocumented workers workers who are in precarious immigration situations and of course you know the people whom we depended so much to provide us the services that we need here in Canada this afternoon we've invited you know speakers interesting and very you know courageous people to join us and speak and share your thoughts and their experiences at today's webinar one of the speaker one of the speakers is Gabriel Gabriel Attua Gabriel is originally from Saint Lucia and came to Canada as a temporary migrant worker under under the seasonal agricultural workers program he was forced to seek employment offices this of the poverty in the country exacerbated by a strong hurricane that destroyed economy of the island country Gabriel is now a permanent resident and recently united with his son he's an activist volunteer with Hustisha for migrant workers a solid director network working with seasonal agricultural workers Gabriel you can you hear me clearly yes beautiful good afternoon to age and everyone in zoom land this afternoon my name is Gabriel I'm from a very small island as you'll heard Saint Lucia I was forced to come to Canada and that's the story of migrant workers we are forced by so many factors that forced us to come to Canada and the the reason why I am here today is to tell you that the food that you eat the vegetables that you eat and those of your in Niagara the wine that you drink those of your in PI the the the lobsters the potatoes once migrant workers are involved in the food the fruits the vegetables that you eat that there are lots of injustices the food that you eat can be your safest form of medicine the food that you eat can also be your slowest form of poison why I say that because the Canadian food system makes it legal for the exploitation of the soil the environment and migrant the group the collective justice for migrant workers and it is a political collective what do we do we advocate we organize we educate we empower we inspire we pressure politicians and we also push people to action today I'm hoping I can push you to some kind of action and which is the purpose of this webinar right um as I said I am loud because the Canadian food system is not healthy the Canadian food system is not just I am loud because I want a Canadian food system that is healthy that is sustainable and that is just I want to tell you that the fruits and the vegetables that the migrant farm workers come to to produce there are 20 injustices the program that brought me to Canada it's called a seasonal agricultural workers program and as Connie said that program brings in workers from many many countries and that program is like a tree and that program is also like a telephone number the program that brought me to Canada is like a tree and it's like a telephone number let me see how I can marry the two of them together that tree that program the seasonal agriculture workers program this year that program is 54 years old it started in 1966 that program in that telephone number number three represent the three simple parts of that tree the stem the branches the leaves migrant workers come to Canada to do jobs Canadians do not want to do and what are the jobs the D jobs right the dirty jobs the difficult jobs the dangerous job and all of these D jobs they are non-unionized jobs can you imagine the conditions the working conditions associated with a non-unionized job so we are here to do those other dirty jobs those ununionized jobs what are the branches in that tree stands for we are here to do those dirty jobs but we are we cannot apply for status in Canada in Canada if you do not have status you do not have rights if you have status you have rights and from the Chinese railroad workers Canada have been using immigration and labour laws on just immigration and on just labour laws to keep migrant workers in vulnerable and precarious position so status by having status that status the only one thing that would help migrant workers to to take care of both the immigration and labour vulnerability status what is the list stands for we are tied to our employer by way of our tied work permit so let me go over that we are tied to our employer to do those dirty jobs and we do not have the same rights as a Canadian is that a fair program is that a just program i'm going to my telephone number number 20 number 20 represents the 20 injustices that migrant farm workers face in the production of your fruits and your vegetables and every other thing that they they're associated with but when you when you look at this here on the world stage Canada tells the world that it's a country a champion for human rights in my country red and white means love canada tells the world that's a country of love and i felt the love of canada in so many ways in my home country when i see the leaf in the flag it reminds me of food all those food that we produce in canada but in school i was thought that the green plants synthesize the the the food in the green leaves right in the green leaves of the plant for the chlorophyll when i see in my home country red means danger when i see a red leaf it reminds me of the 20 injustices the challenge is that migrant workers face in canada i do not think i have a lot of time to go through those 20 injustices but i want to spend a little time to tell you number 20 of the number 14 in those 20 injustices and what is number 14 every migrant farm worker every migrant worker regardless where they are we face family separation we are physically separated from our families every day migrant workers face those two wars we worry about our families in our home country and we keep worrying about difficult conditions in our in our in the country where we are i also want to tell you about the greatest wedding on a have you heard about the greatest wedding on earth the colors of the those two partners in the wedding are very very bright you be please be careful with your eyes because the colors are really really bright these are the two partners in the wedding right very very bright and let me tell you about those two partners in that wedding and that wedding the greatest wedding i consider this to be the greatest wedding and what is the name of that wedding the act of cruelty what is the vow in that wedding if you keep them ignorant i will keep them poor and we will exploit them what is canada telling you canada is telling you to send people of color people of black or brown people of color that's one number two if these people do not speak english if english is a second language if this people are illiterate these are the people to send to me canada is telling you to send me people are ignorant about labor and human rights issues these are the people canada want what does canada do canada welcomes these people in a climate of fear in a climate of fear we cannot speak of all to keep us compliant to keep us compliant and in the process what they do they exploit us all of that is taking place in the country with a culture of silence in a country with a culture of silence and that is why i'm really happy for this webinar today because we need to speak up injustices kind of be corrected if they're kept under the carpet under the rug we need to speak up and all of that all those injustices are taking place with the full blessing the full protection of the laws of the country with the full blessing of the government because of time i want to tell you a couple of simple things a couple of simple things the politicians what a politician tells us that this is not a problem in their writing people don't call them up so what is my question to you will you call your politician and tell them about those injustices and which is what covid is really doing covid is really exposing the vulnerable people in our society and we are talking about canada canada is a country that champions itself as a place for human rights why why we have so many people suffering for basic decency in canada why will you call your politicians and make pressure them to make it a priority also somebody said a great a great quotation says our world suffers a lot not because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people kairos believe that our future can be better than our present kairos believe that together we can make the world a better place and the last thing i want to tell you before i leave two things right i want to tell you before i leave is to a migrant worker status means a lot of things but listen to the four important things what are the four important things status means for migrant worker one it means status means that thing that would help us to access decent work to a migrant worker status means that thing that that would help us to access better working conditions. So migrant worker status means that thing that will help us to access equality. So migrant worker status means that thing that will help us to be reunited with our family. And the last thing I'm going to tell you is all migrant workers are like an egg sandwich. We're caught between a rock and a hard place. So we are caught in the middle like an egg sandwich. In our home countries, we face difficult conditions that forces us to come to Canada. Come to Canada for a better life, we face difficult conditions. We are caught in the middle. What would you do to help those people? I can tell you that I want you to view the situation like an egg. Today I'm going to ask you that question. The things that you're going to do are those things going to break the egg from the outside. And you know when an egg is broken from the outside, it kills their life in the egg, right? It kills life. But when the egg breaks from the inside, new life is born. So my question to you, are you going to do, as of today, are you going to do those things that will break the egg from the outside? Or are you going to do things that will create the conditions that will bring new life and cause the egg to break from the inside and create a new and a first society in Canada? Which is the objective of this webinar? I would like to thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Gabriel. And I will too want to thank you, Gabriel. I heard you a couple of years ago and you're just as engaging on screen as live. And we appreciate all your imagery and quotes. And now we want to hear from another speaker. And I'm going to have to ask his indulgence that I get your name right. Father Peter Chalala? Chalala. Chalala. And so I received a little bit of information about Father Peter who joined a religious order when training to be a missionary to serve migrants, the Scalabranians. And so he has served in Columbia, the United States, Venezuela and Canada as a priest for 22 years and began in the diocese of Hamilton in 2014. He tells us that he has worked with the migrant farm workers since 2009 and in the Brent and Linden areas of Ontario since 2017. So I'd like to turn the screen rather than the floor over to Father Peter. Thank you very much for being with us. Thank you, everyone. Thank you for the introduction. Very happy to be part of this webinar. I just want you to be aware right now, we talk about making changes at the macro and micro level. Right now we're trying to make change at the micro level in a very specific area of Southwest Ontario. What am I referring to? I put a link on about a very specific issue that's going on and that's regarding the care for our migrant workers during this COVID pandemic. One of the medical officers, Dr. Shankar, a strong advocate for our migrant workers, gave the farmers what I thought were wise and very prudent suggestions, not suggestions but rather orders about the health and safety of the migrant workers. Well, unfortunately, a group of farmers with very much influential, thought his restrictions were too severe. And so right now the Board of Health in that region is meeting to confer and to talk about it. They already overturned the decision once, but we're trying with letters. And I posted where you can send the letter so that you can familiarize. Doesn't matter where you are. We want to bombard him with, with as many letters and to say, because I think this will have reverberations in other communities. And basically the point of the doctor is when one of these migrant workers falls sick, you have to provide a special place of isolation for them and for their colleagues, because these men are living in bunk houses and bunk houses are not the place. I mean under normal circumstance, let alone under a pandemic. So whatever you can do to help on this Michael issue will be warmly received. I'm also happy to say that. Two of the bishops in the area, my own Bishop, Bishop Grosby and Bishop fraud roll, wrote a joint me wrote a letter as well. So once in a while we get those bishops going, light a little fuse under them and they'll respond. So that's, that's a bit, but anyways, just in general, I think what I try to do being in a rural area, and I do have farmers and, you know, the farmers, not the enemy. I think what I try to do, first of all, I do have to say there are some good farmers, even though the system needs to be enhanced and better by all means. But at the same time, we do have farmers that are, you know, treating the migrants as best they could under the limitations. And don't just see them as commodity. So there are some good farmers and I'm, you know, and I do encourage them to always do what they can to make the migrant workers feel a part of the community. At the same time, sadly, there are situations where we need to lift up our voices and say, no, this is wrong or, you know, this needs to be corrected. I think what COVID will unmask for us is just like the nursing homes that show that we're not up to the task in terms of care. So too will our migrant communities where there are especially egregious faults and defects and, and unsafe standards, it will unmask that and it will, we've already lost two and we may lose more unfortunately. So this is the immediate concern. I understand that we're also projecting for the future in terms of the rights, but in the immediate time we have to do what we can to remind the government because we know the migrant worker does not have a voice, does not have a vote. And we who have a voice in a vote can advocate on their behalf. And finally, just something that my community undertook was, there was a bit of reaction to the 120 that were quarantined in Bramford. They were not from the area. And there was unfortunate a reaction, a strong reaction from the politicians because they were concerned. They were like, well, what are we going to do with these guys? Well, they were put in hotels and they were cared for by Dr. Shankar and his team as best they could. And some of the residents, yeah, were emotional and unfortunate responses. I didn't read, but what I heard was something to the effect of, well, they're not from here, send them back to Mexico. And of course that angered me. And so I expressed my voice, my concern in the media, and things got picked up. And then we decided to channel that anger into something good. It's a small token. It won't change everything. But we were able to gather together donations and funds. And we're going to present each of these workers with, with a small gift bag with positive messages of a prayer of support. And hopefully by this Sunday, we'll be able to deliver it to them. But of course that's the first step. It's not the end. And I thought what it showed was that no, there is receptivity in the community. There are people who want to help, who want to step up if we give them the chance. So that's my little bit over there. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much, Father Peter. I'm following the work that you're doing in the community. So I'm glad that you're here. I'm glad that you're here. And last Sunday, and I knew that, you know, a gift bags and food baskets were distributed to the migrant workers in the area. It reminded me of, you know, our conversation last night in a separate webinar where me and Gabriel had spoken. And one of the, one of the important things that came up from that conversation was this is our problem and the community are doing as much as they can to support the migrant workers in that area. And we as advocates, we are doing as much as we can in terms of advocating and being welcoming and supportive. I clarified that, you know, the main responsibility, the main honest is on the government because they are the ones who can make this changes happen. They are the ones in the power to make, you know, the lives of the workers that are important to our economy and to our food system become permanent residents and therefore not have to be, you know, coming here in a temporary status and not being able to access the support and services that, you know, they need. So I just wanted to, yeah, to share that conversation that you had last night. No, and I, just to add, I totally get it. There is a long-term project and plan and we got to keep that, but we can also make, remember, not to bad analogy, the war, we got to win every little battle and the little one, sorry, some critical, the little battles, even in those minute communities, like influencing this health board, that's an accomplishment. It's one step closer. Well, thank you. Thank you very much for your time and for sharing with us. We are, we are sharing this video that was produced. This is a YouTube video that was produced in May of this year. Basically talking about the situation of undocumented workers from or undocumented migrants who are here in Canada. So we will be hearing, you know, experiences and perspectives from construction workers, international students, farm workers and so forth. This is a short video, so I hope you'll, I hope we'll not have a technical glitch. Public health crisis, unless we protect everyone, we cannot protect anyone. I got my wife that is, her due date is on May 29th. Me and my wife, we don't have an SIN, a valid SIN number. And still we are asked to be, stay home. But the reality is that I cannot stay home. I don't have any kind of support. I need to hustle basically every day. We cannot imagine ourselves on the street with our kids having no way to provide them any food. We work as domestic workers. We take care of elderly children. We clean hospitals, supermarkets. We work in the fields, in the factories. Our hand of work is in all sectors of the economy. Myself and all my coworkers were all laid off as a result of losing my job and also not qualifying for support because my SIN has expired. I have no idea how I'm going to be able to pay for rent and food. I still need to eat and live. I believe we also should not be left behind. We contributed to Canada. All migrants in Canada must have income support. It's really hard for me to believe that migrants like myself and all migrants cannot get support because of the formality like expired social insurance number. I'm ready to work. I'm ready to do what it takes to be a resident here. But I also include fighting for my rights as a worker regardless of my status. It is absolutely urgent that the government immediately extend income support to all workers who have been affected by COVID-19 because of their immigration status. A few words from different individuals. We have one other clip to show you today that is about a five-minute clip that gives more detail about one person's situation and how she became a non-status person in Canada. We want you to think about this situation and how it shows the need for this campaign that started on Sunday, status for all, landed status now. Connie will give us some more details after the video. But first, let's hear from Marisol. My name is Marisol Bobadilla. I am a member of Migranti Canada based in Toronto. I came to Canada on the temporary foreign working permit in 2012. I worked in this plant in PEI, was victimized by a fraudulent recruitment agency here in Ontario and lost my status. Since then, life has been hard for me. I have had to live in the shadows, breaking my back to pick the master room that you serve in your table and enduring the abuse and exploitation in my workplace. We are not machines. We are human beings who have needs and rights. We are part and we contribute to the growth of the Canadian economy. For many of us, overseas Filipino workers, despite the garbage like treatment for our government, through our remittances, we continue to keep the Philippine economy afloat. The imperialist neoliberal globalization imposed in our country has further aggravated poverty, heightened unemployment, and forced us to live and find greener pastures in other lines like Canada. We are scared to complain and to lose our job because losing our job means losing the better life of our family. Our vulnerability was highlighted during the COVID-19. We cannot access income support, so we must work even if it means risking for us hurt, or our health and for our life. At workplaces, it is physical distancing and proper physical protective equipment are not an issue on this kind of situation anymore. That is why today we, the migrant workers, care workers, students, refugees, sex workers, and undocumented people stand together and say, women's collisions, we seek your support for our just and noble goals for status. We believe that a just and prosperous society could let me fully realize how this government, our important role in society recovery from COVID-19. That was very powerful. I actually met Marisa when she was still working in PEI when Cairo started to do outreach with the fish plant workers in smaller communities in Prince Edward Island and also in New Brunswick. So she was working at O'Leary and then when her papers was not, her immigration status was not renewed, she was recruited to come here in Toronto to work as a mushroom picker. And that's when, you know, this abuse and exploitation under the hands of this unscrupulous scooter and also with the employer. At the last, you know, webinars, many of the workers who share their experiences and also at the last video that we've seen, not Marisa's but the first one, we've heard about, you know, how migrant workers, even those with status were actually not included or were not able to access the many support, emergency support that both the provincial governments and the federal government had announced. It's, you know, it's, it was kind of reassuring to hear that the emergency aid packages were for all, but in reality, as we heard from, you know, the workers, they were excluded. And so it is, but just an important, you know, to support the call for status for all and blended status now. What is, what is this, you know, status for all and blended status now campaign. The migrant rights network, which is composed of 46 migrant workers, led organizations, advocates, trade unions and faith groups, Kairos included, launched this campaign last June 14 primarily to really highlight the challenges and the conditions that migrant workers faced during this pandemic. The Globe and Mail front page today basically talked about that. And it is us, it is for us, you know, who are, who are not in that situation to really show our support and promote this campaign. So last June 14th, which was Sunday, a massive digital and social media gatherings of migrants, poor and working class people and allies was held. The global COVID-19 pandemic has proven that migrants are essential to our communities, but are exploited and excluded. Together, migrants from across Canada are raising our voices for health care, decent work, family unity and equal rights for all. We demand full immigration status. What is full immigration status for all needs? The demand for status for all and blended status now is essential for a just recovery from COVID-19. This means everyone in the country without permanent residence status must be regularized and given permanent residence status immediately. This includes all low-wage residents, including migrant workers, study permit holders, refugee claimants, people who are ordered deported as failed refugees, people who lost their status because of exclusions for criminality, people who overstayed their visas and who entered Canada without a permit. All people who come to Canada in the future must have permanent residence status and arrival. Migrants in low-wage occupations can't be coming into Canada through the temporary foreign workers program, caregiver program, seasonal agricultural workers program and other programs with work authorization permits, as well as refugees and individuals on study permits should be able to come to Canada as permanent residents if they so choose and be able to bring their families with them. This status for all and blended status now campaign has actually been the call or the goal of Cairo's work on migrant justice. And we've been calling and calling on the Canadian government to provide or to grant permanent status to those who are coming in Canada as a temporary worker and to those who are here now. Last May, last month, we sent out a letter and e-blast to all of Cairo's network members and advocates to write to their MPs to grant permanent status now and to write to what the Portugal government has done during the pandemic when they granted residency status to all workers refugee claimants and documented workers in Portugal so that they are able to access benefits. Here in Canada, we wanted the government to do more, not only to grant residency status, but to regularize those who are undocumented and those who have failed in their refugee claims. The story of Cairo is not isolated. This is the common stories that many of the agricultural workers are facing. Many of the frontline workers who are providing care either to small children or particularly those who are in the long-term health facilities elderly with medical needs. They are important to us. They are important to the families that they provide care. And yet we failed to provide them the necessary support and protection. This webinar and the campaign that has just been launched has called for all of us to take action and support this campaign. As you've seen in the earlier YouTube, there's about 1.5 million who are here in Canada that are undocumented and yet they are performing essential work. And because they are undocumented they are very vulnerable because employers who knew that they don't have the legal status can actually dictate how low they're going to pay these workers. And these workers even when they are sick they cannot afford to take a sick leave or to take a day off because they're very much dependent on that particular day's pay. So this is how we would like you to visit the Kairos website so that you can take action or you can use the links there to take action. One of the calls to action that is being promoted right now is to call your MPs and call Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. There is a link in the website where you can find a place where you put in your information and you dial the number and you're directly connected to the MP in your writing and then after you live a message you're then connected to the office of the Prime Minister. So when I joined the launch last Sunday all of us with our phones started to call and left messages. I think that we can do not at this webinar but as we finished the webinar I guess. I think I would like to open the conversation for questions, clarifications, insights and reflection. Father Peter are you raising your hand? I was going to ask a question on chat so I was going to just answer that about where to write a letter to the health board so I was just going to give you the information. You're going to give it to us on the chat? Yeah I'll post if you want to. I said there's a link to the article about the issue at hand about the need to have better information and I'll give you the actual name to you can address it and where to send it to the clerk of the local county. I know it's a very small spec or issue but we built things little by little and as I said it has implications not only for that part of Ontario but for the rest of the country as well. We really need to push back and say no this is where we have to draw the line. Thank you. We need those positive precedents set locally all across the country. I was running through the chat and I noticed somebody asked about the program for the federal run program. I want to let the person or the audience know that immigration is a federal portfolio. Immigration matters is federal so the migrant workers program is a federal run program. However, all the provinces have a role to play when it comes to the labor laws and regulations guiding those workers. That's what makes it complicated. Let me see the simplest things I can tell you is one. We come here to work which is labor and Canada has been using these two things from the time of the Chinese railroad workers in the past. Immigration and labor on just immigration laws on just labor laws. Number two, what makes it complicated is whereas it's a federal run government but the provinces are the ones with the labor laws. That makes it complicated. The federal government has to overlook the provinces and everybody wants to protect their boundaries. The simple truth is I was counting the injustices at the migrant farm workers space I counted up to 20 and I stopped at 20. When I go through those 20 injustices those 20 injustices are at every level of government at the municipal level with its housing challenges at the provincial level with its labor challenges at the federal level with all those challenges. All of those things makes it complicated. Other things I want to tell the audience is we are invisible. The program is designed to make us invisible in so many ways but some of the simple ways we cannot speak up because we are afraid of being sent back home. Imagine our employers who own the travel agency that books our flight in and out of Canada. In essence they have the power to deport us, to repatriate us. So the fear of deportation keeps us quiet. As I said status is that only one thing status is that only one thing that can help migrant workers to take care of both the immigration part and the labor part. Being on the program we have a tied work permit but if you have status you have an open work permit and by having an open work permit it allows us to go and work with somebody else who treat us better. So by having an open work permit it would force our employers to treat us better. But as I said if you go back to the program we are tied to our employer, our work permit is tied to the employer and the employer. And the program in itself is not just and that is the simplest way that is the whole thing about it. And I need to say the last thing I figured to say on that is in days gone by Canada opens doors for people from Europe as soon as they got into Canada they were granted status. So it's not something new we are asking the government to do. We are not asking them to do it again. We are not asking them to go to the moon and create something new. We are asking them to do something they have done in the past. Thank you. Thank you very much Gabriel. I'm going to turn it back to you to see if did you have any final comments as we come up to the hour. Thanks Shannon. I just want to echo and reiterate that the federal program with the implementation is downloaded to provincial governments. However, the decision as far as immigration status, access to health and so on is federal. The federal government can give directives to the provincial governments to ensure the protection and safety of workers who are here under the temporary foreign workers program. However, this is not being done so. This is not being adhered and implemented strictly. So as you know, Father Peter mentioned before, there are good farmers, there are good employers and we are not ignoring that. It is the system that makes it possible for some employers to abuse their workers. The federal government both the provincial and the federal are not doing their jobs well in terms of making sure that the workers are protected in making sure that checks or monitoring and visits to farm owners or factories where these workers are being employed or are working. We are doing this advocacy targeting the federal government because again, it is the program and they have the power to make those changes. Now that all of this all the challenges and the conditions facing migrant workers out in the news the more that we have to anti up our advocacy work. So I would, you know, I guess in my last words is even if, you know, we don't have this webinars, you can always connect to the Kairos website and check on, you know, the campaigns and the advocacy work that we are doing in support of the migrant workers, temporary workers and documented. But for now, the major call is to support this campaign. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Connie. So we just do want to clarify that this is the last in this particular series of webinars. Over the summer, there will be a new opportunity to connect. The migrant justice diaries. And you will get a notice by email. You will get a notice on the website, but just a different format to connect with the work that is ongoing and the needs and the issues that are ongoing. And please watch for more campaign work that will ramp up again in the fall, but keep connected with the diaries over the summer. So I want to say thank you to Connie, I want to say thank you to all of you. And over the series. And note that if you missed any in the series, they are all posted to the website and you can go back and see earlier here, earlier speakers on those videos there. So thank you all for coming today. And we'll see you again soon. Take care. Bye. Thank you. Thanks to all of you, including Shannon and Connie, Father Peter, Gabriel. Thank you so much. Thanks to everyone for listening and for taking part. And Kyros have been playing a great role and Kyros is nothing without your support. And you know that the strength is always in the members and just your participation makes me feel confident that the future of Canada is bright and is strong. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, everyone.