Refugees & Immigration

With the support of our donors, we are able to continuously fight for the rights and freedoms of immigrants and refugees coming to Canada; people like Nell Tousaint.

Nell, who had lived and worked in Canada as an irregular migrant for almost a decade, was in the process of seeking to regularize her status when she developed life-threatening health problems.

She sought access to healthcare but was denied because of her immigration status. The Federal Court agreed that her life and long-term health had been put at risk, but they held that the violation of the right to life was justified to promote compliance with immigration law, ignoring the evidence filed in the case showing that most irregular migrants, like Nell, migrate for work and not to access health care

We worked closely with Nell to fight for her rights as a human being. We believe that a person living in Canada, regardless of their immigration status, and in need of life-saving healthcare is entitled to it. A refusal to provide it would violate this person’s right to equality under the Charter.

Cases like Nell’s continue to be a big problem in Canada today and affect the most vulnerable in our society.

We believe that everyone should have access to their basic rights regardless of immigration or refugee status.