Mennonite
Central
Committee

New Video Focuses on Lives of Undocumented, "Invisible" Workers in Canada

Gladys Terichow
June 29, 2006

Angela and Geraldo are part of an invisible work force in Canada.

Angela is a Caribbean domestic worker and Geraldo a Costa Rican construction worker. Both work in Canada as undocumented workers to provide a better life for their families living in their home countries.

Borderless, a newly released 22-minute video, highlights their dreams of being reunited with their families and their struggles to live in Canada without legal status.

The video, produced by KAIROS with funding support from MCC Canada, was accepted by the Winnipeg International Film Festival and was aired June 11. KAIROS is an umbrella group of Canadian church and religious organizations that work together on a variety of social and justice issues.

Angela and Geraldo are among thousands of migrant workers from developing countries vulnerable to labour exploitation in Canada, said Ed Wiebe, coordinator of the national refugee program for MCC Canada.

"It is precarious at home but it also very precarious here," he noted. "If they are sick they can’t go to a doctor or hospital because they don’t have a health card. If they are mistreated they can’t complain because they do not have a work permit. If they are discovered they are deported."

Undocumented workers are seen by many employers as a "cheap and compliant" labour force, explained Wiebe. They often work for sub-standard wages and work long hours without adequate rest or overtime pay. In extreme cases, travel documents are withheld by employers.

An estimated 200,000 people work in Canada as undocumented workers. "Many people in Canada say that doesn’t affect us," Wiebe said, adding he is hopeful the video will raise awareness that undocumented workers are contributing to the Canadian economy and that the basic human needs of all people, regardless of their legal status, need to be respected.

 

Gladys Terichow is a writer for MCC Canada Communications