TORONTO -- The death of Yassin Dabeh, a former Syrian refugee who died from COVID-19, is a sign of the 鈥渉uman rights catastrophe鈥 facing newcomers and migrants working on the front lines, advocates say.
The 19-year-old died last week and had care home in Delaware, Ont., which is dealing with a virus outbreak. His family had sought refuge in Canada in 2016 after moving from Syria.
鈥淵assin dreamed of starting a new life, getting a job, having a future and proper education,鈥 his father, Ahmad, said Tuesday at a virtual press conference. He described his son as a 鈥渟weet, lovable boy鈥 who was 鈥渧ery caring.鈥
Both of Yassin's parents and several members of his immediate family also contracted COVID-19, which meant they could not attend his burial. Yassin's mother was in hospital three times, but is now recovering at home.
and farms are two of the biggest sources of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths in Canada, with worker advocates noting that these low-wage, precarious jobs tend to be filled with racialized people, migrants and newcomers, like Dabeh.
鈥淭his young man came to Canada with his family with the hopes of having a better life,鈥 Syed Hussan, executive director for advocacy group Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, told CTVNews.ca over the phone.
鈥淐anada promised his family and other migrants and refugees that this was a better place. And we can see that if you鈥檙e a low-wage worker or a racialized migrant, that鈥檚 not true.鈥
Hussan noted most migrants and some newcomers don鈥檛 have access to employment insurance or other recovery benefits, so they often have to make a choice between staying home sick and paying the bills or getting a paycheque but risking infecting others.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 have any savings, so when they鈥檙e being faced with these immense challenges with COVID, they鈥檙e forced to keep working in sub-standard and dangerous conditions,鈥 he said.
鈥淲e call this a human rights catastrophe,鈥 Hussan said, arguing that 鈥渙nly the most privileged in our society seem to be the most protected.鈥
NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS 'HAVE A LOT OF FEAR AND WORRY'
Last year, Majd Yared , who worked at a Lethbridge, Alta. daycare. Early on in the pandemic, the late Marcelin François, who was a , died of the disease. Yared, François, and Dabeh had all only moved to the country within the last five years.
A report from the left-leaning Broadbent Institute outlined issues facing racialized groups including, 鈥減ersonal care workers forced to work shifts at multiple long-term care homes鈥 [and] migrant farm workers living in abysmal conditions with little to no access to basic workers鈥 rights.鈥
鈥淭he COVID pandemic has really shone the light better on the conditions under which they work,鈥 Stephen Kaduuli, a refugee rights policy analyst for advocacy group Citizens for Public Justice, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
He isn鈥檛 surprised by the disproportionate effect on certain groups, who he says are 鈥渞isking their lives with this essential work鈥 that Canadians do not want to do鈥
Kaduuli explained newcomers and migrants working on construction sites, migrant farms, and in long-term care homes 鈥渉ave a lot of fear and worry鈥 because they often live in small, cramped spaces, where they can鈥檛 physically distance from family members or roommates.
鈥淚t is very terrifying to think that you left your country to come to Canada and then you end up doing this precarious front-line work and somebody ends up dead,鈥 Kaduuli said. But not having paid sick leave or consistent hours can take an additional toll.
鈥淚 think it sends many of them into great depression, it sends some of them to alcohol, and in some cases, we see mental breakdowns.鈥
'WE'RE SUPERHEROES鈥 UNTIL WE TALK ABOUT RIGHTS'
He said it should be a rude awakening 鈥渇or those who鈥檝e always been against immigration,鈥 to see the sheer amount of immigrants, newcomers and migrants helping on the front lines in long-term care homes or on farms.
鈥淣ewcomers are very resilient people,鈥 Kaduuli said. 鈥淭he newcomers take these jobs so they can look after the people they left back home in [places such as] Africa, Asia, Latin America. They do not come here for welfare. People do not come here to offload their problems in Canada. They come here to find a better life.鈥
Early on in the pandemic, entire neighbourhoods were prone to banging pots and pans for front-line workers but advocates say now is the time to fight for newcomers and migrants on the front lines too.
鈥淲e鈥檙e superheroes, or we鈥檙e all essential, until we talk about rights. It鈥檚 fine to bang pots and pans but they鈥檙e [not] paid sick days,鈥 said Hussan, who works to improve working conditions for migrants and newcomers.
He said Migrant Workers Alliance for Change has pleaded with all levels of government for supports such as paid sick days and a ban on evictions, arguing 鈥渢he lack of support for migrant, racialized low-wage workers has resulted in immense suffering.鈥
But there has been resistance to paid sick days. Last week, there鈥檚 鈥渘o reason鈥 for the province to introduce its own paid sick leave program, even amid mounting criticism from advocates who say that an existing federal program doesn鈥檛 do enough to protect workers.
Kaduuli said private companies and temporary work agencies 鈥渘eed to give them a better work environment,鈥 which includes long-term solutions such as higher-paying jobs, so workers aren鈥檛 forced to juggle multiple jobs and potentially expose themselves or their families to the virus.
But part of the solution is giving strong assurances that front-line migrants and newcomers will have a clearer pathway to permanent residency, said Hussan, who fights for workers in this situation.
鈥淚f you speak up about a bad job, you鈥檙e liable to be kicked out of the country,鈥 he said, calling it 鈥渁n added disadvantage.鈥 He said what will go a long way is ensuring employment isn鈥檛 so tied to whether undocumented migrants can stay in the country.
Protestors make a human clock during an action in support of migrant worker rights in front of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, in Toronto, on Sunday, Aug., 23, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Being a permanent resident didn鈥檛 spare Dabeh from contracting the virus, but Hussan said putting up these protections would still be impactful to the roughly 1.6 million migrants who are working similar jobs.
Kaduuli said the federal government also needs to better 鈥渞ecognize the competencies of newcomers.鈥 Part of that 鈥済iving a better deal鈥 to newcomers means accepting accreditation they gained in their home countries -- something other groups have also flagged.
鈥淲e want them to go back to level one, so that they 鈥榮tart off fresh鈥 but they have to pay bills. So they end up doing precarious work,鈥 he said.
Hussan agreed, saying migrants and newcomers 鈥渟ustain society, we鈥檙e the ones who are the construction workers, the cleaners, the delivery workers, the health-care workers, the security guards -- and we鈥檙e the ones who are bearing the brunt of the crisis. And not being able to actually survive. 鈥
As to whether governments and companies will listen, Hussan said 鈥渨e don鈥檛 have, frankly, any time to lose. We are living in daily crises鈥 so we can鈥檛 wait until after the pandemic.鈥
Kaduuli said he only knew 鈥渨e have a lot of work to do and that the [advocacy] work must continue. We have to keep pushing, so that there鈥檚 recognition on the part that has been played by newcomers.鈥
