Organizing and Resisting Racism and Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric in Canada

Webinar recording, originally streamed November 23, 2024.
"Migrants take away our jobs! They are criminals! We need to take care of our citizens first!" Let's stand up against these myths!
In this important panel hosted by Justicia for Migrant Workers, we will challenge the harmful narratives that perpetuate xenophobia and racism in the context of Canada's immigration system. The rhetoric of migrants as "job stealers" or "criminals" has been used to justify policies that exclude, marginalize, and criminalize migrant workers, while the rich get richer.
We will critically examine how immigration has been commodified, much like housing, work, healthcare, and education - all systems used to consolidate wealth for a privileged few. We will look at how recent policy changes continue the legacy of colonialism and racial discrimination embedded within Canada's immigration practices, disproportionately affecting Black, Indigenous, and racialized migrant communities.
This discussion will also highlight the multi-racial and transnational organizing efforts needed to challenge these oppressive structures. Justicia’s work has been central in challenging harmful tropes such as the "modern slavery" narrative, and in advocating for the rights of migrant workers, including the right to permanent residence, access to Employment Insurance (EI), and the fight for an end to policies that divide and control migrant populations.
The panel is being held on November 23, the day of anniversary of the 1887 Thibodaux massacre in Louisiana, when white supremacist violence crushed the largest protest in the history of the sugar-cane industry, as Black workers demanded better pay and conditions. This history of violent suppression of racialised worker resistance underscores the importance of building solidarity across borders and communities.
Join us as we explore the urgent need to fight for the right to immigrate and build solidarity across borders to transform an unjust system exploits the many to enrich the few. Together, we can dismantle the myths and systems that keep us divided, and build a vision for migrant justice rooted in equity, solidarity, and collective liberation.