The report prepared by the team ofInvestigation, broadcast on February 9 on Radio-Canada, has something to think about. Asylum seekers are heavily prejudiced by the interminable delays in issuing their work permits. The federal machine, as we know, is out of whack, and asylum seekers are paying the price, condemned to precariousness, vulnerability and survival.
Unfortunately, this is not the first scandal nor the first tragedy related to asylum seekers. We need only recall the tragic death of a man which occurred last January near Roxham Road. The incessant bickering between the levels of government and the slowness of the bureaucracy are not without causing clashes. They too often remain a source of despair and cause serious and irreparable collateral damage.
An unofficial port of entry
Beyond government failures, the fact remains that nearly 40,000 people will have entered Canada by this famous route in 2022 (not counting those who reach the territory by air), and, of this number, many will remain in Quebec. They will be supported by the State (subsistence allowance, housing assistance, basic necessities) and by community organizations mandated or not to receive them (many of them act on a voluntary basis without any funding). We salute the commendable gesture of Minister Chantal Rouleau, who recently granted them exceptional assistance of $3.5 million in response to their resounding cry from the heart, calling for urgent assistance.
All those working in the field confirm it: asylum seekers want to work and enter the labor market as quickly as possible. As proof, the job fair organized for them last December was stormed by unexpected traffic.
It will thus be understood that the federal government, delaying in issuing work permits, condemns them to clandestinity, illegality and insecurity. Undeclared work often presents itself as the only way out, making the headlines of placement agencies with glaucous techniques and dubious ethics.
We guess what’s next. As a result of the labor shortage, asylum seekers embark on a spiral of employment in abominable conditions, at the risk of their health and safety, and in defiance of their rights. These pools of fragile people are transformed into an easy and accommodating solution. They don’t know their rights or how the labor market works: they are often in shock and suffer from a loss of bearings.
Quebec’s share of responsibility
The federal government would not be the only player pointing the finger. The state of vulnerability of these people also results from the blind spots resulting from Quebec public policies. You should know that in Quebec, an asylum seeker will be accompanied on arrival, helped to settle and will benefit from subsistence aid. However, as long as he has not obtained refugee status, thus giving access to permanent residence (if he obtains it, after several months/years of waiting), he will not be entitled to full service.
The effects of this waiting period imposed by Quebec can be terrible. It could easily take up to three years, if not more, during which an asylum seeker will be deprived of services. What exactly are we talking about? Services related to support for job searches, training aimed at perfecting/enhancing skills and promoting a structured, legal and organized career path. But also, even more surprisingly, access to subsidized childcare services. How can the Quebec government reasonably think that an asylum seeker will be able to assume the cost of private childcare services?
do more
It is clear that upstream support for asylum seekers would allow them to be better equipped, in addition to helping them better understand their rights and ensure their protection.
Certainly, the decision announced by Minister Rouleau was a step in the right direction. But it will be necessary to do more and adopt reception policies guaranteeing asylum seekers access to all the public services liable to protect them from the vagaries of illegal employment, to protect them appropriately and to avoid the trap of dishonest placement agencies. and other fraudsters or profiteers of all kinds.