Caroline Michael, who fled from Nigeria in 2018 seeking asylum, said she felt people should be free to move to other places when things are not working in their own countries.
But the journey to restart her life in Canada has been full of obstacles, Michael said.
She said without status, she has no choice but to accept low-income jobs that offer little to no employment protection.
“Status means freedom,” she said. “It gives you access to everything you want to do.”
Michael was among the crowd of migrants and civil society organizations marching on March 19 to the Bloor Street West constituency office of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Sarom Rho from Migrant Rights Network, one of the protest organizers, said they are fighting for a fair society where newcomers are given the same status to thrive in Canada.
“We are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to ensure an uncapped regularization program that grants permanent status, not temporary and more exploitative work permits, for all undocumented people,” Rho said.
Trudeau asked Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser in a mandate letter in December 2021 to find more ways to regularize the status of undocumented workers contributing to Canada.
But Migrant Rights Network said Trudeau is stalling and the delays put migrants in an endless cycle of exploitation and deportation risks.
Veronica Zaragoza, an organizer for Workers’ Action Centre, said a regularization program would be a change from death to life for undocumented people.
Zaragoza said she has witnessed undocumented people becoming homeless or even dying in the workplace.
“This is why I come here to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to keep the promise he has made many times,” she said.
The protest saw undocumented people speaking out, such as Oluwayemisi Odunlami, a single mother who fought successfully in March to defer her deportation to July.
“But after July, what is going to happen? I don’t know,” Odunlami said.
She said staying in Canada without documents offers no promising future for both her and her three children.
“Canada is our home,” she said. “The children are the future of the country.”
Odunlami said granting permanent residency to people like her means they can continue to contribute to Canada and make the country a better place.
Another undocumented migrant speaking out was Ursula Ortiz, who said she escaped to Canada to save her life and embark on her new dreams.
“The reality was completely different,” Ortiz said. “I am being discriminated.
“We did not have any rights. We couldn’t stay safe,” she said.
The protest also attracted second-generation Canadians like Al Quinn Alquinto, who said people should be aware of the damage Canada does to the home countries of different migrants.
“Canada plays a role in exploiting these countries,” Alquinto said. “We take materials, raw minerals, set up businesses there and defund their economies just to benefit our own country.
“If you feel that you are not a fan of immigration as a Canadian, I would suggest you look at it from a different side,” he said.
Michael said she hopes Canadians can treat newcomers equally and work with them as one.
“We are all the same,” she said.