Madhu Verma Migrant Justice Centre

06/17/2026

INSIDE CANADA’S ‘TROUBLING’ SHIFT ON MIGRANT, REFUGEE RIGHTS - Experts say Canada is 'closing the doors' as socioeconomic issues upend decades-long consensus on immigration as a positive for the nation | By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours, in Al Jazeera

"[...] 'We saw the prime minister going to Davos with this beautiful discourse, saying we should not copy our neighbours … But internally, the policies are telling us another story,' Diana Gallego, FCJ Refugee Centre Co-Executive Director, told Al Jazeera. 'Canada is closing the doors now.' Gallego is among more than a dozen experts – from lawyers to professors, rights advocates and former government officials – who told Al Jazeera that Canada is at a 'troubling' crossroads in its policies towards migrants and refugees. [...]"

🔗 Find the link to read the whole article here:
https://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/2026/06/inside-canadas-troubling-shift-on-migrant-refugee-rights/

06/17/2026

Attention researchers! Call for proposals to give a 10-minute presentation on topics related to systemic racism in health care. ⬇️

Call for presentations | Deadline for submissions: July 15, 2026

06/17/2026

Madhu Centre board member, Tracy Glynn, discussed the barriers that migrants face in accessing dental coverage and care at a Canadian Health Coalition webinar this week.

ICYMI, read the recap and watch the webinar on The Canadian Dental Care Plan here: www.healthcoalition.ca/canadian-dental-care-plan-looks-good-on-paper-but-experiences-of-seniors-immigrants-tell-a-different-story-advocates/

More people will fall through the cracks with time: Dr. Brandon Doucet on the Canadian Dental Care Plan

06/17/2026

Congratulations to Simon Ouellette and CUPE SCFP for winning a Canadian Association of Labour Media Award!

Read Simon's article, 'From hostility to unity: Filipino workers settle in rural N.B.', here: https://cupe.ca/counterpoint/hostility-unity-filipino-workers-settle-rural-nb

Kudos to CUPE Local 2354 for their inspiring work prioritizing an inclusive approach that "not only built solidarity between local and foreign workers but also brought new energy into the local."

06/17/2026

Take Action Now!

Call on the Minister of IRCC to stop slamming our door on refugees and rescind the Safe Third Country Agreement: https://takeaction.amnesty.ca/page/103088/action

06/16/2026

Today is International Domestic Workers' Day.

Sign the petition to Prime Minister Mark Carney, and tell him to give all migrant and undocumented care workers permanent resident status: https://migrantworkersalliance.org/justice/

06/10/2026

Congratulations to Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick (AHSNB) on another successful Asian Heritage Month.

We are delighted to share an inspiring new short documentary film, “We are from Asia”, by the National Cultural & Creative Association of Canada: https://www.nccac.ca/film/v/we-are-from-asia

The documentary aims to showcase the diverse experiences and contributions of Asian Canadians in New Brunswick, their professional achievements, personal experiences, insights into life in New Brunswick, and their vision for a more inclusive future.

The film features our Honorary Chair, Madhu Verma, who is also the Founding Chair of the Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick, and one of the founding members of the Multicultural Association of Fredericton.

06/09/2026

Madhu Centre is proud to support the Canadian Council for Refugees / Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés National Week of Action leading up to World Refugee Day, June 20th.

Sign the open letter to PM Mark Carney today and show that we're better together:
bettertogethercanada.ca/week-of-action/

06/08/2026

Thank you CUPE SCFP for highlighting the importance of immigrants and migrant workers to Canadian municipalities at the annual meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in Edmonton.

A CUPE/SCFP panel, moderated by Madhu Centre board member Aditya Rao, raised urgent conversations about federal immigration cuts restricting the number of temporary foreign workers, international students, and other immigrants who are allowed in the country.

Read more about the panel here: https://cupe.ca/news/cupe-highlights-importance-immigrants-and-migrant-workers-canadian-municipalities

06/08/2026

Sign the Petition: Canada must stop abuses of migrant workers and abolish closed work permits for participants in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

https://takeaction.amnesty.ca/page/156972/petition/

No one should be trapped in a bad job. Yet Canada forces many migrant workers to remain tied to a single employer. This means they can't freely change jobs, even when they're facing abuse, wage theft, or unsafe work.

Migrant workers have been fighting for their right to freely change jobs, just like every other worker in Canada.

✊🏽 Join them in the fight to build thriving communities where ALL workers have power. Sign the petition today:
🔗 takeaction.amnesty.ca/page/156972/petition/1?locale=en-US