A petition supported by more than 250 organizations is calling for stronger protection for migrants who engage in civil protests. The campaign — which includes Amnesty International, Greenpeace and the United Church of Canada among others as signatories — is asking for migrants to receive the same rights as Canadian citizens to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, as laid out in Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “Migrants are part of every movement in this country,” said Bikramjit Singh of the Post-Graduate Work Permit committee, a member organization of the Migrant Rights Network, in a news release. “What happened in Calgary was meant to frighten people into silence. It will not work. Migrants will keep organizing and keep speaking out. We will defend those rights every time they are attacked.” The movement comes after Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials attended a protest on Aug. 12 outside the Calgary’s Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy. The demonstration was by students at the school who said their post-graduation work permits were being denied. When border agents attended the scene, they investigated 20 participants and directed 12 of them to a CBSA office. Ten removal orders were issued that same day to individuals who were in Canada illegally, formally launching the process to deport them. A similar protest was held at Edmonton’s Campbell College campus, but no action was taken there. The group says there need to be “clear public policies” to protect migrants from immigration enforcement and it has written to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to put that plan into action. “A migrant worker must be able to join a picket line. An international student must be able to protest government policy. Refugees and undocumented people must be able to demonstrate and organize,” the statement reads “If basic rights are denied to some people, then we further entrench their vulnerability and treat them as less than equal.” ‘Fair and equitable application’ of the law: CBSA In a statement, the CBSA said that it was made aware of and is reviewing the letter from the Migrant Rights Network. It added it agrees the freedom of peaceful assembly is a Charter-protected right. However, the agency stands by its policy of inland investigations, calling them “an important tool” to determine who is lawfully in Canada and who is not. “Foreign nationals admitted into Canada are not able to work or study unless authorized and are expected to depart Canada at the end of their authorized period of stay. When the CBSA becomes aware of foreign nationals who may be inadmissible to Canada, CBSA officers will investigate and take appropriate action,” the CBSA said. All of the individuals identified as “possibly inadmissible” by the CBSA on Aug. 12 were instructed to meet with agents for a follow-up interview that day. “The CBSA is committed to the fair and equitable application of Canada’s immigration laws,” officials said. “It is important to note that persons who have been ordered removed from Canada are afforded due process provided for by legislation, including access to appeals and judicial reviews, and can only be removed after all legal avenues of recourse that constitute a stay of removal are exhausted.” Since all border and immigration information is considered personal data protected under the Privacy Act, the CBSA says it cannot provide any details on specific cases.
