Politicians as well as community groups are pushing both the provincial and federal government to reward asylum seekers that are working on the COVID-19 front lines on the grounds that many of the workers live in Montreal North (a COVID-19 high risk area) and are risking their lives to protect Canadians, as such, they are among the worst hit by the pandemic and deserve to be granted residency.
Franz André, who works with Non-status Action Committee, said a lot of these workers are engaging two jobs which make them more prone to contracting coronavirus.
André said: “One man actually brought COVID-19 home and his wife and his child [are] now infected” adding that up to 50 out of the 200 front line workers he offers help to in Montreal North have been infected with the disease.
He said: “We also know of a gentleman that died, Marcelin François, and it’s one of the same cases.
“When you send people into a battle and we win the battle, you give them a medal. The medal we should give [asylum seekers] is a special program that says that you are now a resident of Canada.”
Also, advocates are pressurising the government of Quebec to recognize the effort of asylum seekers. The MNA for Marie-Victorin, Catherine Fournier presented a motion in the National Assembly.
Fournier said: “To recognize all the work done by the asylum seekers right now in our CHSLD’s in Quebec since the beginning of the sanitary crisis that we live now.”
The motion introduced by Fournier proposed that the provincial government request that the federal government grant these refugee applicants residency status.
She said: “The CAQ refused to debate my motion. I really don’t understand why.”
André demands more and want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to grant special status to the more over 1,000 refugee applicants he feels are working on front lines in Quebec.
He said: “I feel Mr. Trudeau has an obligation to do it. It’s not an option.”
