Migrant workers are important members of our communities and perform essential work in many industries. Many of these workers are issued employer-specific work permits, which make it extremely difficult to change jobs, restricting their labour mobility within the country. This is a violation of their fundamental human right to freely change employers.
The widespread abuse and mistreatment of migrant workers in Canada fuelled by this unjust policy is extensively documented. There is a growing consensus that these permits significantly contribute to the heightened vulnerability of migrant workers to violations of their rights.
Migrant workers and their allies have long demanded that the government put an end to the employer-specific work permit and implement policies that would respect workers’ right to freely change employers.
In response to a parliamentary petition by the Open Work Permit NOW campaign to end employer specific work permits, the Government of Canada has doubled down on maintaining tied labour as an important feature of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and Canada’s immigration system.
The federal government must replace, without delay, closed work permits with unconditional open work permits and open barrier-free pathways to permanent residency for all migrant workers (regardless of wage level, occupation, or national origin.
Please join our call to replace closed work permits with unconditional open work permits and use the form below to write a letter to your Member of Parliament, Minister Miller and Prime Minister Trudeau.