Asylum seekers in Canada become COVID warriors helping govt combat Coronavirus pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the asylum seekers in Canada have risen to the occasion of helping the government in the fight against the deadly pandemic.

"I thought You have to give your best and make people's lives better," a 36-year-old asylum seeker and a physician in her native Haiti, Gaelle Ledan was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

Ledan is one of the hundreds of asylum seekers who are working for a meagre remuneration of $10 per hour in "essential" jobs which few Canadians want. Despite the low salary she said still never thought about quitting her job as a nursing assistant at the seniors' home in Montreal, where she has worked for two years.

"It's not a loss, but a win for them," Ledan said while adding "We are loyal people and we are ready to continue to work for a better Quebec and for a better Canada.

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Trudeau for regularising legal status

Despite the asylum seeker's efforts, immigration critics remain critical of granting legal status to them, stating that it would be given only after the due procedure. Noticing the dedication and efforts of asylum seekers in combating COVID-19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opined in favour of regularising the legal status of the asylum seekers.

"Our immigration system is anchored in respect for processes and fairness and equality for everyone," Trudeau said last month. "It's important to follow these processes, but in an exceptional situation one can evidently consider some exceptions."

However, the prime minister drew criticisms for his comments in favour of the asylum seekers while hinting on bypassing the laws. Advocacy groups held demonstrations outside his constituency office in Montreal.

"It's admirable that they took these jobs before the COVID crisis, and it's admirable that they have, in most cases, stayed in these positions to care for the most vulnerable," Peter Kent, immigration critic for the federal Conservative Party, was quoted as saying.

"But we don't believe that that should be a shortcut to Canadian permanent residency. ... It would be, I believe, an unacceptable precedent," he added.

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While there has been opposition on allowing legal status, many have spoken in favour of regularising the legal status of these asylum seekers. Quebec, the centre of COVID-19 outbreak in Canada have strongly supported the regularisation of legal status.

Minister of Immigration Jolin-Barrette has said that the department was analyzing the applications and talking with the federal government.

"This is an exceptional situation aimed at recognizing the contribution of these people during the unprecedented crisis we are going through," said the spokesperson for Minister of Immigration Jolin-Barrette.

Frantz Andre, a spokesman for the Action Committee for People Without Status, said, "When they came, they were considered the zero of this world," he said. "Now they are heroes."

(With ANI inputs)