International Migrants Day:  Proclamations in Vancouver, Burnaby,and Surrey

 
By Erie Maestro – Migrante B.C.
Vancouver-Canada
December 19, 2020
 




Since 2016, the City of Vancouver has issued a Proclamation declaring Dec 18 as International Migrants Day in Vancouver.  It was then Mayor Gregor Robertson who first issued the first City Proclamation of International Migrants Day (IMD) on the request of Migrante BC.

 

This year, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum join Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart in proclaiming December 18 as “International Migrants Day” in their cities. This is a recognition of the presence of migrant workers, who are also essential workers, and their families who live and work in our cities and of the contribution of their labour that keeps our cities going, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also acknowledges the struggles, problems, and sufferings of migrant workers and a call to stop the exploitation and trafficking of migrants.

The Proclamation helps to “draw attention to the situation of migrant workers, which includes low-skilled temporary foreign workers, caregivers, and the seasonal agricultural workers, especially to their precarious and vulnerable working and living conditions, their access to basic services and social entitlements.” For Migrante BC, it is also drawing attention to the conditions that drive workers from countries in the Global South such as Mexico, the Philippines, Guatemala to migrate and labour in the cities in the Global North.

 

The Proclamation is not only a Declaration but also a commitment made by these Cities to migrants and immigrants. In Vancouver, the Proclamation “builds on the City’s Access to City Services Without Fear for Residents with Uncertain or No Immigration Status Policy--the City’s commitment to a welcoming and safe environment to people of all cultural backgrounds by providing access to City services, including those with temporary status, uncertain status or no immigration status.”

For Burnaby, which is “one of the most ethnically diverse populations in British Columbia”, the Proclamation is its commitment “to providing a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment to people of all nationalities and cultural backgrounds.” For Surrey, the Proclamation “builds on the City of Surrey’s diverse city and its commitment to a welcoming and safe environment” to all, including those with temporary status, uncertain status, or no immigration status.

In December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. A decade later, in 2000, the UN designated December 18 as International Migrants Day to promote awareness of the large and increasing number of migrants in the world. In 2019, the number of migrant workers and people living in countries other than their own nations has grown to 272 million.

While we celebrate IMD in our cities, it is also a reminder that while 55 countries have ratified the Convention and 14 countries have signed the Convention, Canada has neither signed nor ratified this UN Convention.  The Canadian Council for Refugees writes that “It’s time for Canada to live up to the rhetoric and make a real commitment to migrant workers’ rights by signing on to the UN Convention.” It adds that the Convention “sets a moral standard and serves as a guide for the promotion of migrant rights.”

The Proclamation is also a step to asking for that commitment in practice to the many migrant workers in our cities. Migrante Canada, the alliance of Filipino migrants, declared in their statement for IMD: “in Canada, thousands of racialized migrant workers are pushed into precarious situations…the harsh realities of anti-migrant and exclusionary policies that stifle the social, economic, and political prospects of migrant workers. While dubbed as essential workers during the pandemic, they are however relegated to unsafe working conditions, lumped in crowded living quarters, paid below living standards and left without access to basic services. Hence, we demand the granting of full status for all migrants.”

Migrante BC stands in solidarity with migrant workers all across Canada and around the world to celebrate International Migrants Day, a day of celebration and reaffirmation of our commitment to our struggles as migrant workers.