Extend rights and status to all workers to stop the race to the bottom!
The Communist Party of Canada condemns the federal government’s recent decision to end work permits for tens of thousands of migrant workers. This cruel and calculated move exposes the harsh reality of the super exploitation that underpins Canada’s immigration regime—a system designed not to protect the rights of migrants but to exploit them as cheap, disposable labour for the benefit of big business. We stand in full solidarity with all migrant workers, international students, and their families who are now facing uncertainty, exploitation, and deportation as a result of these policy changes.
In particular, we express our unwavering support for the international students who are courageously organizing actions across Canada. Many of these students, predominantly from India, are facing deportation after being lured here by false promises of education, work opportunities, and pathways to permanent residency. These promises have been betrayed by a government that prioritizes corporate profits over the lives and dignity of the people who fuel its economy.
The Trudeau government has tried to sell its immigration policies as welcoming and inclusive, but in reality, they represent a deliberate attack on migrant workers. The federal government’s decision to expand and then retract work permits for migrant workers is not the admission of a mistake or a policy blunder—it is a calculated move in the interest of capital. When big business needed more labour, the government opened the doors to temporary workers and international students, making promises it had no intention of keeping. Now, as economic conditions shift, these workers are being discarded—many facing deportation, while others remain trapped in precarious, low-wage jobs without access to full rights.
Canada’s immigration system is not based on human rights, justice, or equality. It is designed to serve the needs of capital by providing a steady supply of cheap labor to key sectors of the economy. This is why temporary migration streams have been expanded in recent years, while pathways to permanent residency have been restricted.
There are nearly 2 million workers in Canada today who do not have full permanent resident status. These workers—whether they are international students, temporary foreign workers, or non-status migrants—are denied full workers’ rights. They are often cut off from healthcare, social services, and labour protections. They are often forced to work in unsafe conditions for poverty wages, with little recourse against exploitation and abuse. Many have been lured here by the false hope of securing a better future, only to find themselves trapped in a system designed to keep them in a state of perpetual vulnerability.
This is not accidental. The immigration system is deliberately set up to maximize exploitation by creating divisions within the labour market based on race, nationality, and immigration status. These divisions in labour depress wages and working conditions for all workers. This system is rooted in xenophobia and racism, and it is designed to pit workers against each other in a race to the bottom.
We must abolish temporary worker programs and replace them with a system that respects the dignity and rights of all workers. Canada must provide a clear path to citizenship for all workers, regardless of their immigration status. Every worker in Canada should have the right to join a union, be protected by employment standards legislation, and have full access to healthcare, education, and social services.
The struggles of migrant workers and international students in Canada cannot be separated from the broader context of global imperialism. Many of the people who come to Canada—whether as students, workers, or refugees—are fleeing conditions of violence, instability, and economic hardship in their home countries. In many cases, these conditions have been directly caused by the actions of imperialist powers, including Canada.
The Canadian government has been complicit in creating the very crises that force people to migrate. From Canadian-backed coups in Haiti, Ukraine, and Honduras to the bombing of Syria and Libya, Canada has played a role in destabilizing countries and driving people to flee their homes. Canada’s imperialist interventions have led to political persecution, economic collapse, and widespread violence. The Trudeau government’s continued diplomatic support for the genocide in Gaza is yet another glaring example of how Canadian foreign policy contributes to the suffering of people around the world.
As a result of these imperialist policies, millions of people around the world are forced to leave their homes in search of safety and opportunity. Canada has a moral responsibility to welcome these migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, particularly those fleeing the violence and instability that our government helped to create. But instead of providing refuge, the government is closing the door on those most in need, offering only a limited number of resettlements while continuing to support imperialist interventions abroad.
The Communist Party of Canada stands united with migrant workers, international students, and immigrant rights groups in demanding comprehensive democratic immigration reform. The demands of the Communist Party are:
- Immediate status for all migrant workers, international students, and non-status residents in Canada. No worker should live in fear of deportation or be denied basic human rights because of their immigration status.
- A clear path to permanent residency and citizenship for all workers, regardless of class. The immigration system must be restructured to prioritize human rights, not corporate profit.
- The abolition of all temporary worker programs. These programs are designed to exploit and dehumanize migrant workers. They must be replaced with a system that guarantees full rights and protections for all workers.
- Full access to healthcare, education, and social services for all residents of Canada, regardless of their immigration status. No one should be denied access to basic human necessities because of their immigration status.
- An end to Canada’s participation in imperialist wars, coups, and interventions. Canada must stop contributing to the conditions that force people to flee their homes. We demand an end to Canada’s involvement in the destabilization of countries like Haiti, Ukraine, and Honduras, and we demand that the government take responsibility for the suffering it has caused.
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada