No One Is Illegal - Toronto

OPPOSE BILL C-50! MARCH ON MAY 3RD!!!

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:23:35 +0000

JOINT NO ONE IS ILLEGAL-TORONTO, VANCOUVER, MONTREAL, & SOLIDARITY ACROSS BORDERS STATEMENT
SCRAP BILL C 50! NO ONE IS ILLEGAL!

Click Here to Check Out the No One Is Illegal Deputation to the Standing Committee On Immigration

Recently the Conservative government introduced a series of amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), buried in Bill c-50, a 136-page “budget implementation bill”. This fundamentally undemocratic move sneaks in critical changes to Canada’s immigration policy without proposing any of those changes before Parliament. By making it a matter of confidence, the government forces Opposition parties to either accept them or call an election.

This series of amendments places more arbitrary power in the hands of the Immigration Minister:

- Under the existing s. 11 of the IRPA, anyone who meets the already stringent criteria to enter Canada as a worker, student, visitor, or permanent resident, shall be granted that status. However, under the proposed changes, despite meeting the criteria, the Minister will have the discretion to arbitrarily reject an application.

- Sec. 25 currently says that the Minister “shall” examine a Humanitarian and Compassionate application – this is changed to “shall” examine the H&C application if the applicant is in Canada, but only “may” examine the application if the applicant is outside Canada. Although the government claims will have no impact on family reunification, in practice it will have a serious impact on family reunification as H&C applications are one of the most frequent avenues for family reunification (for example separated refugee children).

- Proposed s. 87.3 of the Act will allow the Minister to issue “instructions” setting quotas on the “category” of person that can enter Canada – including quotas based on country of origin. This unprecedented modification of IRPA would risk putting in place implicit equivalents to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, the Order in Council of 1911 prohibiting the landing of “ any immigrant belonging to the Negro race”, that of 1923 excluding “any immigrant of any Asiatic race”, or the “None is too many” rule applied to fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe during the Second World War.

- Ministerial power in deciding the order in which new applications are processed, regardless of when they were filed. This means prioritizing immigration applicants based on their ability to fulfill the needs of the Canadian job market, “whether it’s people to wash dishes and make sandwiches, or whether it’s the highly skilled engineers”, as stated by Minister Diane Finley. This is a profoundly dehumanizing and racist conception of immigrants as disposable commodities.

- New sections 87.3 (4) and (5) of the IRPA would allow the Minister to simply hold on to, return, or throw out a visa application and deny any opportunity to review that decision in Court. This precedent is truly alarming, especially in the context of a deeply flawed appeals process, including the existing lack of implementation of a Refugee Appeal Division, despite being provided for under IRPA.

The Conservatives argue that these changes are necessary to “modernize” the immigration system and reduce the existing backlog. However, the true objective is clear from Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s comments that the government seeks a “competitive immigration system which will quickly process skilled immigrants who can make an immediate contribution to the economy.”

Demonstrations Win Stay of Deportation for Sarah Leonty - As the Fight for Don't Ask, Don't Tell at Post Secondary Heats Up!

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:40:09 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GTA CAMPUSES CELEBRATE STAY ON DEPORTATION OF YORK SCHOLAR! Students and Faculty Continue to Organise to Demand Status for All!

TORONTO- Shaken by the outrage of protestors who poured into York University's Vary Hall on Wednesday, Immigration Canada was forced to grant Sarah (Saint-Sierra) Leonty a 2 year stay in Canada while her Humanitarian and Compassionate Application is processed. Sarah's mother and two younger siblings slated for deportation yesterday, had their deportation cancelled and were also granted a 2 year stay.

The crowd consisted of students and faculty from York, U of T and Ryerson all demanding that Sarah be allowed to stay. Student and labour unions, along with faculty and community organisations took to the mic calling on York University to declare itself a sanctuary school to be free of Immigration Enforcement.

Amidst chants, echoing "Education, Not Deportation! Access Not Fear" and "Status for Sarah! Status for All!" University President Shoukri was pressured to issue a statement in support of this case.

Sarah bravely stated, "This is not just about my case. York University should take the lead in implementing a Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy so that all students can access education, regardless of their immigration status."

"It's a shame that undocumented students like Sarah, people who have lived, worked and participated in communities here can be treated as second class residents. Economically they are one of the most marginalized groups, yet post-secondary institutions demand they pay impossibly high international student fees," said Jen Hassum, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students- Ontario.

"As faculty, I'm inspired to see students organizing to reclaim the university as their space. York should be a safe place of learning and a sanctuary zone that is free of Immigration Enforcement" said David McNally, Chair of York's Political Science Department.

Access for Kader

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:21:28 +0000

Start: Mar 26 2008 - 11:00am

Timezone: Etc/GMT+5

Date & time:
Wed, 03/26/2008 - 11:00pm

Location:
25 St. Clair Ave E. (on St. Clair, just east of Yonge)

Details:

Abdel-Kader Belaouni is a disabled man who has been forced to take sanctuary in a Montreal church. He is there so he won't be deported to detention in the U.S. and ultimately to conflict ridden Algeria where his safety would be jeopardized and there are few services for the blind.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 - 11AM
25 ST. CLAIR AVE E. (on St. Clair, just east of Yonge)

Disabled people who come to Canada face tremendous barriers. Each year they are denied entry or status in Canada because of their disabilities. These shameful and discriminatory practices must stop.

Come out and tell the government to grant status to Kader. We as disabled people and our supporters, will tell the federal government to remove ableism and racism from the Immigration Act and stop all of its ableist and racist practices.

Organised by DAMN 2025 and No One Is Illegal-Toronto
For more info, email: nooneisillegal@riseup.net
or phone 416-604-5765

Student Groups, Academics and Administrators Say Stop the Deportation of York Student!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:08:09 +0000

*****************************
ENDORSEMENTS
*****************************
Presently endorsed by: York Federation of Students• York University Faculty Association - Race Equity Caucus• Canadian Federation of Students• International Development Studies Students Association• Atkinson Students Association• York Graduate Students Association• Trent Graduate Students Union• York Sociology Graduate Association• Upping the Ante• Young Communist League at York University• No One Is Illegal-Toronto• Fair Trade Coalition at York University• Student Christian Movement , York University Unit• CUPE 3902 - Educational Workers Union at the University of Toronto• CUPE 3903 -International Solidarity Working Group • Campus Riot• Sikh Activist Network• United South Asians at York• OPIRG York• OPIRG Toronto• The Centre for Women & Trans People at York University• Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Association at York University (TBLGAY)• Students Against Israeli Apartheid - York University • The Peterborough Coalition for Palestine• York for Burma• Sustainable Purchase Coalition - York University• Ryerson Arab Students Association • Ryerson Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)• United Black Students at Ryerson• Urban Alliance• Prof. Pablo Idahosa, York• Prof. David Mcnally, York• Prof. Luin Goldring, York• Assistant Prof. Anna Agathangelou (Political Science, York)• Kari Dehli, Chair, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education, OISE/UT• Margrit Eichler, Professor, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education, OISE/UT• Michael Nijhawan (Department of Sociology, York)•

March With No One Is Illegal on IWD

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:52:44 +0000

Start: Mar 8 2008 - 12:30pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT+5

Date & time:
Sat, 03/08/2008 - 12:30pm

Details:

MARCH ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Saturday March 8
12:30pm
Corner of Bloor and Bedford (in front of Tim Hortons)

Migrante Ontario, No One Is Illegal, Justice for Migrant
Workers, the Workers Action Centre and the Coalition
Against Israeli Apartheid are taking to the streets on
International Women's Day.

As migrant workers, we are faced in particular with racism,
insecurity in our work and precarious temporary status in
Canada as many of the members of our organization work as
live-in caregivers. On March 8th we take to the streets to protest
racialized gender-based violence experienced through poverty,
deportations and detentions, precarious work status, police
brutality, racial profiling, racist and sexist immigration policies,
war and occupation.

On International Women's Day, we march in solidarity
with people's movements resisting the expansion of global
capitalism, war and occupation – the root causes of people's
migration and displacement around the world. In this spirit,
we march in solidarity with resistance movements in Iraq,
Afghanistan, the Philippines, Palestine and around the world,
with people struggling against colonialism, patriarchy, racism
and imperialism abroad and here on occupied indigenous land.

Beyond Borders: May Day of Action Launch Party and Fundraiser

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:59:49 +0000

Join us on February 29th for a night of music, art, spoken word and resistance, as we kick-start GTA-wide organizing towards the May 3rd National Day of Action for Status for ALL!

Friday, February 29th
8:00pm
Steelworkers Hall
25 Cecil Street

Suggested donation $10.

FEATURING PERFORMERS

*LAL
*SPIN
*Ruben Esguerra
*Stolen from Africa
*PATAC
*Sun
*Mr.Bones
*Dancers and much more......

Last May, workers, students, trade unionists, activists and community members led a passionate demonstration through Toronto calling for justice and dignity for immigrants and refugees. This May, we will once again take to the streets. We will demand an end to detentions and deportations. We will demand access without fear to essential services. We will demand an end to security certificates and secret trials. We will demand a full and inclusive regularization program. We will demand justice, dignity and respect!

For information on how you can get involved, contribute or buy advanced tickets, please contact No One Is Illegal-Toronto at nooneisillegal@riseup.net

Dozens of Endorsers Added! STOP THE DEPORTATIONS! ALL OUT MAY 3rd MAY DAY OF ACTION FOR STATUS FOR ALL!

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:15:19 +0000

Call for Endorsement
MAY DAY OF ACTION: STATUS FOR ALL!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Christie Pits Park (at Christie subway station)
12 Noon

New Endorsers!!
Always Question
Communist Party of Canada
Marxist Leninist Party of Canada
International Organization of Iranian Refugees
Graduate Student's Association at Trent University

See list of over 60 endorsing groups and organizations: May Day of Action Endorsers

*This is a child-friendly demonstration.
Food and drinks will be available.
There will be vehicles on-hand for those with reduced mobility.*

Millions across North America have taken to the streets in the last two years, demanding Status for All! In Toronto, workers, students, trade unionists, activists and community members have led passionate demonstrations calling for justice and dignity for immigrants and refugees.

We continue to fight against the Conservative government's ongoing attacks on migrant communities. The last year has seen unprecedented targeting of refugees in Sanctuary. Asylum seekers have been arrested from schools, workplaces and even hospital beds. Families have been torn apart. Over 12,000 friends, family, and community members have been deported.

On March 14th 2008, the Conservative government introduced a series of amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), buried in Bill c-50, a 136-page "budget implementation bill". If passed, the Minister will have the discretion to refuse applications even where the applicants meet the elitist and racist criteria for permanent residence, to refuse to even examine humanitarian applications filed from abroad, and to arbitrarily set quotas on the "category" of person that can enter Canada – including quotas based on country of origin.

In the face of intimidation and fear, our communities have refused to be silenced. Together, we have forced immigration enforcement out of Toronto District schools. Inspired frontline community workers have taken up the struggle for Access Without Fear. We have fought and won a full Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy at many community agencies.

No Olympics on Stolen Land! 2010 Olympics Not all Fun and Games

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:01:26 +0000

No Olympics on Stolen Land Great Lakes & East Coast Tour 2008

TORONTO TOUR DATE:
Tuesday, February 12th 7:00PM
Sidney Smith Hall (University of Toronto)
100 St.George Street

NOTE: Signs will be posted with the room number at the building entrances

FEATURING

Kanahus Pellkey (Native Youth Movement)

With the 2010 Winter Olympics scheduled to occur on unceded Coast Salish, St'at'imc and Squamish territory in two years, the spectacle surrounding them continues to wreak havoc on Indigenous people, poor people, and the Earth. In the spirit of resistance to colonialism, with the 2010 Olympics as a main target, Kanahus Pellkey of the Native Youth Movement and Native youth Dustin Johnson are touring throughout the Great Lakes and East Coast in January and February 2008.

"By them choosing to have the Olympics here, it's opening up our land, our
sacred sites, our medicine grounds," says Kanahus Pellkey. "We want
investors to know our land is not for sale." Pre-Olympic fever occupies
the province of BC, and the economic excitement has massively accelerated
gentrification and the building of highways, resorts, and condos. The
construction of infrastructure for the 2010 Olympics itself is adding to
extensive destruction of traditional homelands of the local Indigenous
peoples.

In October 2007, more than 1500 Indigenous people representing communities
across this hemisphere held the Gathering of the Indigenous Peoples of
America, on Yaqui territory in Vicam, Sonora, Mexico. They stated in their
final declaration, "We reject the 2010 Winter Olympics on sacred and
stolen territory of Turtle Island, Vancouver, Canada." This speaking tour
is strengthened by this momentum, and by the knowledge that hundreds, if
not thousands of Indigenous people now plan to attend the Olympic Games,
not in celebration, but in resistance to the danger the Olympics poses to

Over 100 Rally in Toronto as part of National Days of Action in Solidarity with Laibar Singh and Abdel Kader Belaouni

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:22:44 +0000

Over 100 Rally In solidarity with Laibar Singh & Abdel Kader Belaouni in Toronto

Watch the video (Courtesy of our comrades at Stolen From Africa): Toronto J26 Action Video

On Saturday, January 26th actions in Mississauga, Ontario took place at the Greater Toronto Enforcement Centre (the enforcement arm of Citizenship and Immigration Canada) as part of an action in solidarity with two men in sanctuary in Vancouver and Montreal. Over 100 demonstrators from Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, London and other cities in southwestern Ontario organized and mobilized to deliver written statements in solidarity with Laibar Singh and Abdel Kader Belaouni and calling on STATUS FOR ALL!

At 10:30am on Saturday morning, a bus load of demonstrators coming from downtown Toronto linked up with dozens of members of the Sikh community who came prepared with drums, a food truck and signs reading "End State Racism" and "No One Is Illegal". Demonstrators rallied outside of the Greater Toronto Enforcement Centre on Airport Road before marching to the building in an attempt to deliver the letters of support to the GTEC officials. GTEC's response...to go on lockdown....unwilling to even allow a small delegation to deliver the letters staff and security at the GTEC office locked the doors and barricaded the entrances in an effort to shut out the people seeking justice for Mr. Singh and Mr. Belaouni. Chants of "Let them Stay" and "Status for All" flooded the building and could be heard from miles away!

Gurratan Singh Dhaliwal from the Sikh Activist Network reminded the crowd that "this isn't just about Laiber Singh and Abdel Kader Belaouni, but all people living here without status! We demand status for all!"

The actions were organized as part of National Days of Action called in Montreal and Vancouver in solidarity with Abdel Kader Belaouni and Laibar Singh respectively. As immigration enforcement increases its targetting of Laibar Singh and Abdel-Kader Belaouni, people across Canada are demonstrating in the thousands to demand justice for non-status people living in sanctuary, and to demand status for all!

Gary Freeman Facing Imminent Extradition!

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:06:18 +0000

Dear No One Is Illegal Community,

We have just received confirmation from the Freeman family that Gary Freeman has withdrawn his appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada and will face extradition to Chicago's Cook County Prison at any moment. Natercia Coehlo, Gary's wife, is planning on joining Gary in Chicago to continue to fight for his freedom. We are putting a call out to all allies and friends in the Prisoners' Justice movement in Canada and the United States to please send us contacts in Chicago that may be able to support Gary Freeman's case there. Any information can be emailed to: nooneisillegal@riseup.net

The family is deciding next steps as to what they feel will be helpful from folks in Toronto and we will be keeping you up to date as soon as we have information. Please stay posted.

You can get more information on Gary Freeman by visiting his website www.freemandrum.org

The following is Gary's most recent statement posted on his website...

Act Now! Stop Alexander Kopylov's Deportation!

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:08:00 +0000

ALEXANDER KOPYLOV...
Faces almost certain death in Russia
He is being deported to Russia next Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Unless WE do something NOW!

CALL the Enforcement Officer immediately at 905.405.3500!
FAX the attached letter!
SIGN the petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/kopylov/petition.html

Alexander is an independent activist journalist who wrote against the violence of the Russian state. Subsequently his newspaper was shut down, his car blown up, and he was told not to leave Rostov-on-Don. He fled Russia knowing his life was in danger.

Alexander sought political refuge in Canada. It was denied. He still continued living in Canada, fearing for his life if he returned to Russia. In June 2006 he was arrested and held in a Detention Centre.

Alexander has continuously criticized the Putin Government and its heavy handedness in his blogs. He has publicly spoken out against injustices, for all people, and especially in Russia. His life is even more at risk in Russia because of his outspoken advocacy. More than 60 dissident journalists have been murdered by the Putin government since 2000.

Alexander is in maximum security prison, along with other non-status peoples. He is being psychologically tortured by imprisonment, to extort his consent to return to Russia. For him even maximum security prison is preferable to going back to Russia. Now he is being forced to return to Russia where he is very likely to get killed. All this despite the fact that Canada has signed the UN Convention Against Torture.

Alexander's life is at stake! Save him now! Hold Canada accountable!

Corporate Media Reports About Actions In Solidarity with Laibar Singh

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:28:30 +0000

Supporters of paralyzed failed refugee claimant call on Ottawa to let him stay

CANADIAN PRESS
January 11, 2008

TORONTO - More than 30 Toronto supporters of a paralyzed failed refugee claimant whom Canadian officials have twice tried to deport gathered Friday to call on Ottawa to allow Laibar Singh to remain in the country.

The group, which gathered at a federal government office, said Singh should be allowed to stay in Canada on compassionate and humanitarian grounds.

"There is no greater example when humanitarian and compassionate grounds should be exercised when we have an individual who is now, for all intents and purposes, almost completely physically disabled," said Jagneet Singh Dhaliwal of the Sikh Lawyers Association.

Officials have twice attempted to deport Singh to India, only to be thwarted by his supporters.

Dhaliwal said he's "appalled" that government agents tried early Wednesday morning to enter a Sikh temple in suburban Vancouver to remove Singh.

Hundreds of supporters stopped the removal by blocking the entrance to the temple where Singh had been granted sanctuary.

While it may not be a legal issue, there are "serious implications" when government agents try to enter places of worship to remove those seeking sanctuary, Dhaliwal said.

"If the government is willing to invade and threaten and violate someone when they're at their most vulnerable ... it speaks to how far gone the Canadian government has fallen," he said.

Avneet Dhanoa, a 21-year-old university student who attended the protest, called the incident at the temple "frightening."

"It's scary because it makes me wonder ... if it's going to happen at a gurudwara (Sikh temple), what next?" she said.

There may be a valid deportation order for Singh, but officials should consider other aspects of the case and understand that asylum seekers often use false documents to get into the country, Dhanoa said.

Laibar Singh's Deportation Stopped!

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:49:47 +0000

Thousands of protesters gain a temporary stay for paralysed man 30 minutes before takeoff
Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
Monday, December 10, 2007

UPDATE! URGENT ACTION REQUIRED TO STOP DEPORTATION!
Watch the Video!

METRO VANCOUVER - An attempt to deport a paralysed man back to India on International Human Rights Day fell apart after a grass-roots protest at Vancouver International Airport Monday literally halted traffic and prevented border and immigration agents from taking custody of him.

By mid-afternoon the Canada Border Services Agency halted its plan to deport Laibar Singh after it concluded that it would be too risky for its agents to walk out to a waiting taxi in which the elderly man was sitting. Between them and the curb were as many as 2,000 protesters, many of them members of an Abbotsford-area Sikh temple that had rallied in support.

"For safety and security reasons Mr. Singh's removal has been delayed," Derek Mellon, a CBSA spokesman said, adding that the agency wouldn't discuss publicly any future attempts it may make to remove him.

Singh's reprieve became known a couple hours before, after CBSA officials told Vancouver International Airport's operations centre that they'd bent to the will of protesters and temporarily lifted the deportation order. The decision was made shortly before a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong was supposed to take off with Singh on board.

But in effect, Singh's removal was all but impossible after his taxi was surrounded by people who refused to let him be taken into YVR's international terminal.

CBSA told leaders of the protest that they wouldn't go out to the taxi and retrieve Singh because they believed people would get violent, according to one of the leaders.

Groups Outraged at Being Shut Out of Public Hearings on New Security Certificate Legislation

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:04:44 +0000

Conservatives accused of forcing Bill C-3 through Parliament despite broad public opposition

Ottawa, 27 November 2007 – Groups who have been on the forefront of the campaign against security certificates are demanding an opportunity to be heard in public hearings on the proposed new legislation, Bill C-3. The request was made in a strongly-worded letter sent today to the Parliamentary Committee charged with reviewing C-3. The letter accused the Conservative government of attempting to force the unpopular bill through Parliament without public debate.

Community organizations and human rights groups are normally allowed to comment on proposed legislation before it is adopted. However, groups who applied to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security were informed on Friday that the application process had closed. It closed on Thursday, less than two days after the bill was referred.

“We were more than disappointed to learn that we are being denied the opportunity to appear before the standing committee,” said Adil Charkaoui, whose constitutional challenge led to the Supreme Court ruling in February.

“It is shocking that no Muslim community association, none of the groups who work directly with the detainees - Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee (Ottawa), the Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui (Montreal) and the Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada (Toronto) – no family members, and none of the detainees’ lawyers are being given a chance to respond,” said Mary Foster of the Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui. “They have the most intimate knowledge of these cases, they are the most immediately affected. They are in a position to speak about the serious social consequences to targeted communities. They brought the issue to the attention of the public. But now they are being shut out and silenced.”

The Economist: The temporary foreign workers pouring into Canada are often exploited

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:35:28 +0000

This article reveals an as-yet-unreported story of abuse of Filipino migrant workers in Toronto, and a broader trend in temporary work permits that allows for increased exploitation of immigrant workers (treated as indentured labour)

Canada's guest workers

Not such a warm welcome
Nov 22nd 2007 | MONTREAL
From The Economist print edition

http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10177080

The temporary foreign workers pouring into Canada are often exploited

Times had caught up with the sprawling brewery in the town of Barrie, an hour's drive north of Toronto. Canadians were drinking less and less beer, especially the traditional mass-produced brands. So Molson, the biggest of them all, closed the brewery and sold the property. The new owners were soon pandering to a different vice˜marijuana. When police raided the plant in 2004, it was producing four crops a year of 30,000 high-grade, hydroponically-grown plants, worth around C$100m ($102m).

Along with the pot jungles set up in 40 mammoth brewing tanks, police found a dingy windowless dormitory and living quarters for dozens of workers. The only people charged were nine "gardeners"; the owners escaped prosecution. They may be less lucky next time. The police have launched a new investigation into a bottled-water business they are now running out of the old brewery, involving another fast-growing, but even shadier, area of Canada's economy: the exploitation of temporary foreign workers.

Among the staff at the factory, police found 11 Filipinos, lured to Canada with the promise of jobs paying up to C$23 an hour. Some sold their homes or took out loans to cover C$10,000 or more in fees demanded by labour brokers. But once in Canada, they were "sold" to unscrupulous employers, kept in an isolated rural house, and forced to do menial jobs earning (if it paid at all) a fraction of what they were promised. "They were economic slaves," said a Barrie policeman who chanced upon them, "It turned my stomach".