Tuesday, April 14, 2009


CANADIAN POLITICS-PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO:
STOP THE DEPORTATIONS:
The following appeal for action to stop the deportation of 41 migrant workers this coming Sunday is from the Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty.
################
CALL!
WRITE!
This Sunday, 41 workers will be handcuffed, dragged to an airport and placed on a plane to Thailand. Many of them will never have the chance to return to Canada. They were arrested with dozens of others on their way to work or while packing food at Cericola Farms, in southwestern Ontario last week. CBSA then lied to them and tricked them into waiving their legal rights. This is a targeted attack by the Tory government against migrants. Minister Van Loan can stop these deportations; Minister Kenney can grant them status.
YOU can insist that they do so.
1. Take public action against your MP, Immigration or Enforcement Office. (See list of cities below)
3. Call Kenney and Van Loan. And call your local MP to pressure the Ministers.
4. Send a letter to Ministers Van Loan and Kenney (sample below). Ask your MP to do the same. Write to your local media outlet.
5. Spread the word. Stop the raids. Stop the deportations. Demand status for all. On 2 May, take to the streets
Further details in sample letter below.
Peter Van Loan, Minister
Constituency Office
T 1-877-738-3748; T: 613-996-7752
F 905-898-4600; F 613-992-8351
45 Grist Mill Road, Unit 10, Holland Landing, ON L9N1M7
Room 209-S, Centre Block, Ottawa, ON K1A0A6
Jason Kenney, Minister
P. 613-992-2235; F. 613-992-1920
P. 403-225-3480. F. 403-225-3504
325 East Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
1168 137 Ave SE. Calgary, AB T2J 6T6
Ministers Van Loan and Kenney,
On April 2nd and 3rd, CBSA raided three food processing factories where they held all workers at gun point. These workers were herded into a cafeteria where citizens and permanent residents were separated from other workers.
These other workers, many of whom possess temporary work permits, were handcuffed and held on a bus for over eight hours. In unprecedented weekend hearings, most of the detained workers were tricked into waiving legal advice or the right to dispute their removal.
These illegal and egregious actions were followed by speedy requests for travel documents, as their original passports are held by unscrupulous, corrupt agents at TNT Recruitment. The Thai consulate has provided these papers and 41 of the arrested are being put on a plane on Sunday April19th.
Removing workers from Canada in this way is arbitrary and illegal. The recruitment agency and the company which paid these workers $9.00 an hour for 12 hours of back-breaking and brutal work have not been charged.
Minister Van Loan, sign a notice to stop the deportations. Minister Kenney, grant all workers arrested full status. Stop using the economic crisis as an excuse to target migrant workers and their families!
+++++++++++++++
Endorsed by:
No One Is Illegal-Toronto
Justicia for Migrant Workers
Migrante Ontario
No One Is Illegal Vancouver
Solidarity Across Borders (Montreal)
Immigrant Workers Center (Montreal)
Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty
+++++++++++++++
Actions:
18 April
Toronto
Details to be announced
17 April
Montreal
Meet at downtown CBSA Offices
14 April
Calgary
1130, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
100 - 6 Avenue S.W
9 April
Vancouver
7 April
Edmonton
5 April
Toronto
(Please email nooneisillegal@riseup.net if you're organizing an action)

1 comment:

Eli Blake said...

I was really disappointed to run across this.

Here in Arizona where we have a bunch of hard-core 'nativists' who have gone so far as to propose placing undocumented Mexicans in slave labor camp (a real suggestion by Don Goldwater) or placing landmines along the border (a real suggestion by one of them from Show Low who was interviewed by the Arizona Republic) we've always looked to Canada for a better example on human rights issues.

But maybe there is no place that practices tolerance.