Sudbury rally calls for permanent resident status for undocumented people
On Monday, there was another rally in downtown Sudbury calling to support equal status for everyone.
The Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre held the event outside Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe's office on Cedar Street to highlight the challenges facing people who are not permanent residents of Canada.
The rally was to call for equal status for people when they arrive in Canada, including international students, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented people.
Shensi Zhang emigrated from China three years ago and recently became a permanent resident of Canada.
Zhang told CTV News she came here as an international student and has faced many challenges.
"For example, for international students, we are eligible to work for 20 hours per week, but not other people, like local people, when we are here paying three or four times more tuition fees," she said.
Scott Florence, the executive director of the Sudbury Workers Education & Advocacy Centre, said there is a push to create a regularization program and the only answer is to give everyone in Canada residency status.
"Without status for all, we have people here in Canada who are treated differently and unequally and it's a human rights violation. People are treated differently based on their country of origin," Florence said.
Another organizer of the rally, TT Scott, said the challenges newcomers face are troubling.
"Things like living in fear of deportation, fear of being exploited by their work, by their employers, fear of not being able to make ends meet. Simple things like not being able to access healthcare, not being able to access education," said Scott, the centre's communications officer.
"They are not given the proper supports and resources that they actually need to move along."
Lapointe vows to bring the issues to the House of Commons.
"I will be advocating for them when I am in Ottawa. I continue to for advocate them. Immigration is very important. They have provided such tremendous service to our community and we certainly want to keep them here," the MP said.
The Sudbury Workers Education & Advocacy Centre is urging people to sign the Equal Rights For 1.7 Million People petition, which has more than 6,400 signatures at the time of publication.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.