Immigrant Workers Protest in PEI: “We Want Fair Rules”, Threaten “Hunger Strike To Death”
Foreign workers in Prince Edward Island are demanding fair treatment, gathering outside the provincial legislature and shouting, “We want fair rules.” The protests have been spurred by recent changes to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that affect who gets preference for permanent residency.
Rupinder Pal Singh, a spokesperson for the protesters, stated that some immigrant workers are prepared to go on a hunger strike if the PEI government does not reverse the changes. Singh mentioned that they are giving the province until May 16 to meet their demands, which include extending work permits for immigrants who are already working and seeking permanent residency.
“Our province gave us false hopes,” said Singh, who emigrated from India to Canada in 2019. “They were giving us wrong information. This is totally an exploitation.”
PEI’s Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning, and Population has acknowledged the protests. A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday between Minister Jenn Redmond and the protest organizers to discuss their concerns.
Singh emphasized the urgency of their demands, warning that the “clock is ticking.”
“If any of our demands are not fulfilled by 16th of May, [if] we are not grandfathered, we are going to give this protest another name. This will be hunger strike to death,” said Singh. “We are losing our work permits. There are no other places for us to go.”
In February, the PEI government announced it would cut the number of people from other countries that it nominates for permanent residency in Canada through the PNP. The number of nominees will fall by 25% in 2024, partly due to pressure on PEI’s health-care system and housing market.
The province’s new population strategy specified that of the remaining spots, people who work in specific occupations, including health care and construction, would be given priority.
This change means hundreds of immigrants in other industries, such as retail sales and service, may not have their work permits extended when they run out in the next few months.
The province has stated that the changes to the immigration system are only temporary but has not provided specifics on the timeline.
This followed a recent CBC News analysis of federal data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that revealed Canada’s recruitment of international students has heavily favored business programs over sectors with significant labor shortages, such as healthcare and skilled trades.
Data from 2018 to 2023 shows that 27% of all study permits were granted for business-related programs, while only 6% were for health sciences, medicine, or biological and biomedical sciences, and a mere 1.25% for trades and vocational training.
“I didn’t come here to ruin my life or to ruin my future,” said protester Jaspreet Singh Sivia. “I came with great hopes over here that Canada is a successful country. I would be able to succeed and make my life better, much better here. But since these changes, my life has not been progressing towards that way and it’s quite the opposite picture that I’m seeing here.”
The protests, which began on May 9 with about 25 people holding handmade signs, grew to more than 300 people by Monday. Sivia noted that many passersby have been honking their horns in support, and many employers have also expressed solidarity because their businesses are affected by the policy changes.
“We are very happy our community is standing with us. We would also like to request our other Black and white brothers and sisters from other communities to join as well, because there’s nothing unfair we are demanding,” Sivia added. “The other minorities can take a stand for us and we can back up them, as well.”
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Send them back. They will only create more problems later. We have seen this in France.