As you've heard from Mariela's story, living without full permanent status means exploitation at work, fear in accessing basic services, and unnecessary suffering while waiting for the processing of applications for permanent status.
I'd like to leave you with three brief recommendations from the Mennonite New Life Centre.
One, expand eligibility criteria for humanitarian and compassionate applications and/or introduce a regularization process for persons without status, and protect applicants against deportation while their application is being processed.
Two, expand eligibility criteria for federally funded settlement services so that all newcomers can access services without fear, including assistance with regularization.
And three, prioritize access to permanent immigration over temporary labour programs. If there's an identified labour shortage, workers should be allowed the opportunity to achieve landed status.
I'd encourage you to take the time also to read our brief. Thank you again for the opportunity to share our concerns and recommendations. We look forward to your questions.