Immigration Challenges: Then and Now

Then

When our family came to Canada in 1953, my parents had no money! Just a big "Reiseschuld" debt-the money they had to borrow to just get here. Fifteen of us lived in one farmhouse. All those over the age of 16 worked full-time for the farmer in Beamsville who had sponsored us. When I went to school, I wore hand-me-downs from the lady whose house my mother cleaned once a week.

Yes we were poor. However, we had lots to eat since we were living on a farm, we had family close by and many friends equally poor with whom we shared our experiences and what little we had. We had a church community and a strong faith in God. My parents were full of hope for a better future in a new land.

Today, when I go down to Vineland to visit my mother and see the migrant farm workers, I am reminded of myself and my past. They are what we were. I am also aware of the advantages and privileges that were part of our migration experience. My family had received immigrant status and were no longer refugees fleeing from country to country. 

I embrace a faith that asks us to act on behalf of "the least of the brethren", those lowest in society's ranks, and so I have begun to educate myself to the poverty around me, to put a human face to it, and to explore ways to ensure that justice is done. Social justice is not just a nice thing to do, but an integral part of our Christian faith. As James in Chapter 2 tells us: "Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove."

Helen Griebeling, Board Member for Toronto Mennonite New Life Centre. Excerpt from a sermon delivered to her home congregation, Mississauga Mennonite Fellowship.

Now

It was death threats that brought Mauricio Martinez and his family to a new life of poverty in Canada. Martinez, who arrived in Toronto with his wife and two children from Mexico last November, is awaiting the outcome of a claim for refugee status. His family is surviving on welfare and he is struggling to make ends meet. The Martinez family has managed to find affordable accommodation in an apartment in Toronto's east end, but finding a good job has been tough for Mauricio.

Martinez's situation is not uncommon. In fact, similar circumstances are shared among a growing community in the Toronto area. "Getting a start in Canada is no easy matter," says Martinez.

The government promises for changes - an increase in minimum wage, an enriched Ontario Child Benefit and initiatives to speed up access to subsidized housing - will certainly improve the lives of thousands of people living in poverty. However, these do little to address the unique employment challenges faced by newcomers: non-recognition of skills and credentials, unrealistic demands for Canadian work experience; exploitation by unscrupulous employers. Martinez thinks that Queen's Park could go further to help immigrants who "need more help with things like job training, mentoring, etc."

The Newcomer Advocacy Committee of the Mennonite New Life Centre hopes to give a voice to these concerns by engaging newcomers, settled immigrants and refugees living in poverty to address and transform their situations. Says Martinez: "If there is only one voice, nobody will listen. But if we work together, we can join more voices and the provincial government will listen to our requests."

Gilberto Rogel, Excerpt from New Voices newsletter of the Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto