Canada should embrace the added value that migrants bring to the country
María Corina Muskus Toro
María Corina Muskus Toro is a Venezuelan feminist lawyer, narrates her inspiring journey from Venezuela to the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
María Corina Muskus Toro
When I fled Venezuela in 2015, I thought this would be my last chance to migrate, as conditions were expected to continue to deteriorate. However, deep down, I felt that there could be some hope in the future, and I would return home. Ten years have passed since I left Venezuela with two suitcases full of hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, I am far away from returning. These feelings are shared among Venezuelans - notably the idea of returning - made worse when the receiving countries are not welcoming. Xenophobia is widespread. This is more striking and prevalent when xenophobic discourse comes from high authorities and government officials. We need to remind ourselves, as Warsan Shire shares in her poem Home, “no one would leave home unless home chased you”.
In my case, I recognize how very fortunate I am and I am grateful for the privilege I have had during my migration journey. While it hasn’t been perfect, my own journey has been better than most. For starters, I took the opportunity to leave Venezuela by means of a scholarship to study in the United States. And then I enjoyed further professional opportunities in international organizations. After spending my first few years as a migrant in Washington, DC, I migrated to Mexico. Professionally, there I had a dream job advocating for Mexican human rights needs in intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Deep down, I wished I could have done this job for my own country, Venezuela. In 2021, I migrated to Canada to pursue a second Master’s degree and advanced to the PhD program at Osgoode Hall Law School, which I am currently pursuing.
However, migration has become extremely difficult these days for Venezuelans. Needless to say, most Venezuelans who fled the country possess enough grounds and sufficient proof to be recognized as refugees. But not all Venezuelans have enjoyed my privilege. That doesn’t make them less valuable for receiving countries. Many Venezuelans had to navigate by foot the infamous Darien gap in search of safety and security. No one leaves their home country knowing there is a high risk of danger if they don’t have to: in the words of Warsan Shire, “No one would choose days and nights in the stomach of a truck, unless the miles travelled meant something more than journey.” The current complex humanitarian crisis, lack of access to health care, persecution and shrinking of what’s left of the democratic space are some of the reasons why Venezuelans have been fleeing massively and in shockingly high numbers since around 2014. Nearly 7.9 million of us left the country, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency, which is more than 20% of the whole population.
“Another myth is that migrants compete with locals, and we do not compete with citizens’ jobs. For example, unemployment in Canada is higher among migrants than Canadian-born citizens.”
It’s painful to witness how the refugees and migrants are being used as scapegoats by politicians and some States as part of their political campaigns to win votes and allies - especially in Latin America where most Venezuelan refugees remain. I was impressed by how Canadian politicians generally did not use the ‘migrant card’ directly during their electoral campaigns to attract votes, as we have seen in other countries. Of course, as Canada increased the requirements for international students, reduced the amount of student visas, and stopped issuing work permits for spouses and restricted the opportunities only to Master's programs longer than 16 months, doctorate programs and some other programs, the number of international students and foreign workers coming to Canada has plummeted. Lowering immigration in the following years is the clear aim. However, according to the official government site of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, migrants represent 28.9% of the Canadian labour force. That means almost one-third of the Canadian economy.
Even for myself, as a high-skilled worker who contributes to the Canadian economy and to education as a Teaching Assistant at York University, it has become extremely difficult to obtain permanent resident status that would allow me to expand my economic and professional opportunities in Canada. This quiet and indirect rejection of migrants and refugees is setting a terrible precedent for a country that, historically, has been praised as so welcoming to migrants and as a pioneer in international human rights law.
In the first instance, the public discourse has damaged the idea of migrants by blaming them for general problems in access to health care and affordable housing. Public and high officials' discourses have blamed the housing crisis on migrants and, in particular, on international students. This ‘crisis’ should be reframed as an affordability crisis and not as a housing crisis. International students are not to be blamed for the housing crisis. Indeed, they are victims of it. There is even data that shows that international students and temporary foreign workers tend to spend around 10% more on rent than Canadian-born residents. If the Federal Government of Canada reduces immigration, they say it will alleviate housing demands. Yet, the construction sector relies heavily on migrant labour.
Watch Maria’s full interview with the Voices project
Another myth around migration that should be debunked is that migrants come to take advantage of social programs. This cannot be further from the truth. For example, Canada’s temporary foreign workers program (TFWP) has been identified by Amnesty International as subject to serious and widespread human rights violations notably exploitation by employers, with the lack of access to health care and even proper payments and vacations. In fact many of these workers literally bring food to the tables of Canadians as most of the persons who come for the TFWP work in the fields of agriculture, food service, transportation, and warehouse, tend to receive low wages and fewer benefits, and some don’t even have health care.
Another myth is that migrants compete with locals, and we do not compete with citizens' jobs. For example, unemployment in Canada is higher among migrants than Canadian-born citizens. Additionally, most migrants fill the jobs that, generally, most Canadians don’t want, such as agricultural, seasonal and service jobs. Additionally, it is impossible to think that a newcomer has no networks and lacks connections; some don’t have a Canadian education, others experience difficulties learning the language, let alone adapting to a new country and system, as well as cultural differences. It’s unlikely that migrants will ever compete professionally with a citizen. Additional barriers faced by migrants include the lack of recognition of their work experience, their professional qualifications and their educational credentials before moving to Canada, as reported by Toronto Metropolitan University. Finally, migrants, in particular temporary foreign workers, are most likely to experience exploitation, discrimination and violence.
In a world where migrants and refugees are being targeted, in particular by high-ranking officials like those in the United States, there are moral and ethical values to be upheld for a country that has boasted of being welcoming to migrants. Canada should value migrants who are already in this country, including international students, as an added value to the workforce and the overall economy and continue to create a diverse country that truly welcomes migrants.