Protesters in downtown Vancouver said they’re growing frustrated at delays regarding securing permanent resident status for undocumented people.
These protesters said undocumented people have been shut out of schools, denied health care, separated from their families, and face detention and deportation
Julie Diesta, one of the organizers, said the federal government needs to step up and help migrant workers attain resident status.
“We call on status for all, all migrant workers, all refugees who are already here and those coming here in the future,” she told Global News.
“I was so frustrated and angry. I have been working on this issue since I arrived here as a domestic worker in 1991. Not enough is happening.”
She said there are as many as half a million people without official standing in Canada.
Protesters said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a promise 550 days ago to come up with a way for migrant workers to attain resident status.
It’s been the third consecutive legislative session that ended since Trudeau’s December 2021 promise to ensure permanent resident status for all migrants and refugees, including undocumented people, without any action.
Global News has reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for comment.