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
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.