DEBOUT CONTRE LES DEPORTATIONS – Parc Ex holds its first public assembly as part of the growing campaign to fight deportations in each neighborhood
(the below summary notes were provided by Koby Rogers Hall – artist-researcher at the IWC – on September 27 @ 7000 ave du Parc. Names of certain individuals redacted) Edited and contributions from Mostafa Henaway, IWC organiser and mobilisation in Parc Ex.
On September 27, 2026, upwards to 200 people came out to the Parc-Extension Rise up against deportations assembly. The assembly brought together Parc Extension community members, allies and representatives from community organisations assembled to discuss and strategise for the MONTREAL AGAINST DEPORTATIONS campaign launched this Fall. Participants were welcomed with coffee and food, childcare, and extensive documentation and information on the context in which this campaign is emerging.
“No one else will be taken away” (Mostafa Henaway, IWC organiser and MC)
MCs Mostafa Henaway (IWC) and Amy Darwish (CAPE) hosted upwards of 200 assembly participants, recounting the current context for those in attendance of recent interventions by the CBSA showing up at shelters and food banks and the alarming rise of deportations being acutely felt in Parc-Extension. In response we were reminded of neighborhood histories of residents rising up to resist such deportations, such as those led in areas of the US, and the Status for All campaign for permanent regularization here in Montreal.
“Enough is enough” was the call by Sohna, an organizer with CAPE
Before moving into speakers from community organizations and Parc Ex residents directly affected by this increase in deportation orders, the assembly was opened with a song from Cheema, the essence of which was translated for us as “Canada is not what it used to be.” A brief video designed by Gabriel played recounting the vulnerability corridor for deportations across specific neighborhoods on Montreal island (of which Parc Extension is a primary target, with 6,914no. of deportations so far in Quebec in 2026).
Next we heard from individuals and families facing current deportation orders. The first of these described the stress of precarious living conditions while navigating multiple stages of immigration applications while working as essential labor at Dollarama during COVID lockdowns. Next members of a family spoke of their bewilderment facing their future, with their youngest child being born in Canada (and thus a Canadian citizen), and their eldest arriving at 3 years old, speaking French and this being the only life she has known. In both instances the extraction of their labor was laid bare, and feelings of being discarded were palpable. Each urged their neighbors to come out of hiding, speak out, and to consistently mobilise together.
Sasha Dyck (public historian, nurse in Parc Ex) opened interventions from community representatives by citing previous campaigns won by mobilisations in Parc Extension, including demands for their local CLSC. Dyck made direct connections between anti-immigrant narratives built by parties such as the CAQ, and drops in vaccination rates in the neighborhood due to distrust of government. A speaker from Solidarity Across Borders laid out their strategic planning for Sanctuary Cities while a speaker from Afrique au Feminin described their organisation’s decades long work in accompanying women and families facing deportation uncertainties and fears.
Following these interventions, MCs opened the floor to participants to suggest concrete next steps and ideas for launching the campaign. In English, French, and Hindi, the assembly heard the call for local community-led media outlets, door-to-door mobilisation strategies, and the need for increased visibility through rapid response teams for every deportation in the neighborhood and to publicly decry this dehumanisation strategy.
A key decision taken Assembly members agreed to launch the neighborhood-level campaign with a press conference and demonstration to take place in one month, and actions to sign a neighborhood declaration for popular support and show presence at upcoming local events to consistently condemn the impact and pressures on immigrant families in Parc Ex. One such event will be the upcoming rally for violence against women (on october 9th near metro Parc.)
During the assembly, a short film prepared by the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI) was also screened. Through data and images of mobilization, the film highlights the urgency of building a collective, community-based response against deportations and defending everyone’s right to live in dignity and security.
For more info on the campaign, and specifically Parc Ex neighborhood initiatives, get in touch with the IWC and CAPE.
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