Migrants and advocates call on Ottawa for permanent status, with 11 rallies across the country

Migrants and advocates call on Ottawa for permanent status, with 11 rallies across the country

Advocate says people working in 'horrible conditions,' being deported

Migrants and migrant rights advocates rallied in Vancouver and across the country Sunday, in protest of Ottawa's plan to reduce Canada's temporary resident population.

"We are demanding that those people that came into this country with the promise of a clear pathway to permanent residence get that promise fulfilled," said Lucero Gonzalez, who immigrated to Canada from Mexico.

Vancouver ralliers gathered at Memorial South Park, where they bashed a piñata representing Bill C-12 — recent federal legislation that tightens parts of Canada’s immigration and asylum system — until treats spilled onto the grass.

Gonzalez said people around the country are "standing up" for migrants working in poor conditions or facing uncertainty about their futures.

"Our rights are still being violated. People are still in the fields in horrible conditions, and we’re still here. We still exist," said Gonzalez.

Migrant rights groups launch cross-country demonstrations demanding urgent permit renewals

The Migrant Rights Network's (MRN) website listed 11 events across Canada on Sunday, including in B.C., Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island.

The group is calling on the federal government to grant permanent status to migrants already in Canada, automatically renew work and study permits, end employer-tied permits and exploitation, and stop deportations.

Sunday’s rallies came one day before Parliament was set to resume.

"Blaming migrants does not lower rents, raise wages, or fix healthcare. It divides workers and lets bosses, landlords, corporations, and governments off the hook," reads MRN’s online event page.

Migrants, refugees, supporters march in Toronto’s west end ahead of Parliament resuming

Advocates at the rally in Vancouver said people already living in Canada have too few options to become permanent residents and not enough protections against exploitation as temporary workers.

Gonzalez said many migrants believed doing "everything right" would eventually lead to permanent status.

"That is being taken away from us in a matter of months. In a matter of weeks, people are getting deported," she said.

"We are humans and we deserve — at the bare minimum — basic labour rights, basic human rights."

Non-permanent immigration to Canada surged in recent years. According to a 2026 report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, net inflows of non-permanent residents reached nearly 800,000 people in 2023.

Beginning in 2024, the federal government introduced measures to limit study and work permits, including a cap on study permits and tighter rules for temporary foreign workers.

The share of Canada’s population made up of non-permanent residents peaked at 7.6 per cent in October 2024. A year later, it had fallen to 6.8 per cent.

Ottawa has said it aims to reduce that share to less than five per cent by the end of 2027, citing pressures on housing, health care and other services.

"Their work permits are expiring and all the programs are closed and all their documents are expiring and the children are aging out," said Julie Diesta, coordinator of the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers, who has been in Canada since 1991.

"When I was a domestic worker, it took me forever to become a permanent resident," said Diesta.

She hopes Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government will open pathways to permanent residence for migrant workers and grant them "landed status," rather than establishing more temporary pilot programs.

Arden McLeod, from Vancouver, is an associate producer with CBC News. He has a passion for community storytelling, local news, and reflecting the values of B.C. He graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology's broadcast and online journalism program. You can reach him at Arden.McLeod@cbc.ca.