Women’s Committee

New study exposes the hidden reality faced by women without status

The Immigrant Workers Centre has released a new study by its Women’s Committee that sheds light on the harsh and often abusive conditions experienced by women without legal status in Québec. The research, based on seventy five participants with three excluded for methodological reasons, documents widespread physical and psychological violence as well as serious threats to health and basic rights. Lack of legal status emerges as a central factor shaping... Read more →

Scapegoating Migrants Won’t Solve a Systemic Crisis

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s call for a “very hard cap” on immigration is both misleading and harmful. Blaming newcomers for housing shortages and youth unemployment serves to distract from the real culprits: decades of neoliberal economic policy and an unregulated housing market dominated by speculative interests. The crisis is not about too many people—it’s about a system built to serve profits, not people. Migrant workers are not causing the housing... Read more →

Status for All: Migrant Women Resist Invisibility and Demand Dignity

As part of the World Social Forum of Intersections (FSMI), the Committee for Human Rights in Latin America (CDHAL) and the Women’s Committee of the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC/CTTI) came together to organize a powerful workshop on a reality that is too often ignored: the lives of undocumented women in Canada. To be a woman, a migrant, racialized… and without status.What does it mean to live through this triple marginalization... Read more →

May Day in Montreal: Migrant Workers Lead the Call for Justice and Dignity

This May 1st, as workers across the globe marked International Workers’ Day, Montreal saw a powerful show of unity and resistance. The immigrant working class stood at the heart of the mobilization, raising their voices against poverty wages, unsafe conditions, and the relentless exploitation of labor—all sanctioned by capitalist interests and the governments that serve them. The Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI) marched in strong numbers, joined by key allies including... Read more →

WDO Hosts 2025 International Women’s Day Press Conference

Women of Diverse Origins Marks IWD 2025 with Press Conference The press conference will feature speeches from women who are leaders, organizers, and activists from various communities and groups, representing a wide range of women’s struggles and resistances worldwide. Speakers will include workers from Amazon and from the migrant and health sectors. We will also hear about women’s issues in Indigenous communities, Palestine, Haiti, the Philippines, and Sudan. Women of... Read more →

ABOUT Women’s Committee

The TAWA Women's Committee aims to shed light on the specific issues that women with precarious immigration status face in the workplace. The Committee is fighting for the regularization of immigration status, access to healthcare, and access to justice for all. Origins of the TAWA Women's Committee   In 2014, the Temporary Agency Workers Association (TAWA) established the Leadership Development for Women Factory Agency Workers which, as the name suggests,... Read more →

(IWC-CTI) Amplifies Advocacy Amid Policy Changes

December 18, 2024 In response to recent immigration policy shifts in Quebec, the Immigrant Workers Center (IWC-CTI) has intensified its advocacy efforts, highlighting the challenges faced by migrant workers and temporary residents. Policy Changes and Community Response On November 3, 2024, the Quebec government announced a moratorium on two permanent immigration programs: the Regular Skilled Worker Program and the Graduate Stream of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ). This suspension, effective... Read more →

Quebec Court Greenlights Explosive Class Action Against Abusive Work Permits

In a historic win for workers' rights, Quebec’s Superior Court has approved a lawsuit exposing Canada’s exploitative system of closed work permits. Temporary foreign workers, trapped under contracts with specific employers, are fighting back against conditions that trample on their most basic rights. Led by the Association for the Rights of Domestic and Agricultural Workers, the case alleges rampant violations of the Charter, including widespread abuse, underpayment, and harassment. This... Read more →

Revision of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program: A Human Rights Priority

Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), essential for addressing labor shortages, has significant human rights shortcomings. A recent report by Le Devoir highlights the urgent need to reform this program to prioritize human rights. Working Conditions and Workers' Rights Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) often face poor working conditions, including excessive hours, low wages, and lack of healthcare access. Their precarious status makes them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, with a... Read more →

Mayworks Festival: Celebrating Worker Victories and Cultural Solidarity

Our annual Mayworks Festival celebrates our yearly victories for our various campaigns lead by our workers councils and committees across Quebec. This year we shared the cultural stage with the International Migrants Alliance and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines. We started the evening with presentations from our various workers' committees,  such as the women's committee, the Tresor and Newrest former workers committee, the warehouse workers committee,... Read more →

Public Sector Workers in Quebec Announce Another Week-long Strike Amidst Stalled Negotiations

Front Commun, Representing Over 400,000 Workers, Declares Strike from Dec. 8-14 By Taqwa Mohamed-Mahdi In a show of collective strength, hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in Quebec are gearing up for a week-long strike in December as contract negotiations with the provincial government hit an impasse. The Front Commun, a coalition of four major public sector unions representing around 420,000 members in health, education, and social services, made... Read more →

Mera Laung Gwacha: Empowering Immigrant Communities

The play, Mera Laung Gwacha, was performed in Park Extension’s William Hingston Community Centre on the 4th of November, 2023. To promote the play, we advertised around the neighborhood as well as regularly on the radio and did a half-hour interview on the local radio station, Humsafar. Our team of mostly amateur actors practiced for months to prepare, and the play was a resounding success. The actors were phenomenal in... Read more →

Migrant labour and justice at Concordia: bridges

At Concordia University, a diverse group came together to address the pressing issues of precarious labor and migrant justice in Quebec. Participated in the event, members from the women's committee of the IWC, along with members and workers from the Amazon committee and the South Asian committee of the IWC. They were joined by a representative of the Federation of Commerce of the CSN . The workshop was organized by... Read more →

Striving for Equality: Ensuring Basic Labor Protections for Immigrant Workers in Québec

By: Isaac Patroulis Lessig In January, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced new guidelines to shield migrant workers “who experience or witness workplace labor or civil rights violations” from deportation or a loss of work status. The protective measure marks a positive step towards the empowerment of migrant workers in the country and should be seen as a win for workers everywhere. Similar protections for immigrant workers... Read more →

Raising awareness among migrants about the precariousness of work in the agricultural sector

Our recent festival, on May 1 Labor Day was celebrating immigrant workers struggles organized by the IWC. The festival filled with music, songs, theatrical performances and video screenings, showcased the experiences of agricultural workers and highlighted the need for continued support and awareness. A report by Journal Métro underscores the vulnerability and precarious working conditions faced by migrant agricultural workers, emphasizing the significance of our work at IWC and the... Read more →

Akwesasne “not an isolated case”: non-status immigrants cry out

At the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC), our mission is to advocate for the rights and well-being of migrant workers, regardless of their status. A recent report by TVA Nouvelles high lights the urgent need for regularization and fair treatment of undocumented immigrants in Canada, emphasizing the importance of our work at IWC. The report shares the stories of undocumented immigrants living in precarious conditions and facing numerous challenges in their... Read more →

Women’s Day: Undocumented migrant women aspire to live without fear

A recent report by Radio-Canada International, highlights the plight of undocumented female migrant workers in Canada and the importance of regularization for their well-being. The report, published on International Women's Day, shines a light on the struggles faced by female migrant workers who lack legal status in Canada. These women often endure exploitation, abuse, and discrimination, both in the workplace and in their everyday lives. The lack of legal status... Read more →

Women Without Status and Workplace Sexual Harassment We demand greater protection

  We are the Temporary Agency Workers Association’s (ATTAP) women’s committee, a group of immigrant women working in precarious conditions. We have come together to confront a shared problem: psychological harassment and sexual abuse in the workplace. Our committee was founded by the Immigrant Workers Center (IWC) in late 2018 with the mandate collectively addressing shared problems in the workplace that... Read more →

The Curfew: a dangerous hypocrisy for workers with precarious status

An open letter from the ATTAP Women's Committee - January 2021 Community groups have been saying it for almost a year now. Sanitary measures have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable or marginalized populations. Despite these denunciations from all sides, and while the Quebec Superior Court has just decreed the exemption of people experiencing homelessness from the curfew, the CAQ stubbornly maintains the curfew along with increased police surveillance... Read more →