| The atmosphere in the room was quiet and subdued, the blinds closed to the bright sunlight outside. Lying in one corner were a group of men on a hunger strike: all were immigrants to France – some had been there for more than a decade, but had not yet received work papers, let alone been granted citizenship. These paperless immigrants, many of whom had raised children in their adoptive country, had been on their hunger strike for more than 40 days. They started by occupying United Nations offices in Paris, hoping that the UN would help them put pressure on the French government to grant them papers. However, they were evicted and had taken up refuge in a union office. Ultimately, they held out for more than six weeks before the police arrested them and took them to hospital to be force-fed.
Only a few months later, newspapers around the world carried images of rioting in France, where long-simmering tensions exploded on the streets of impoverished suburbs in Paris and quickly spread across the country. These images elicited surprise, but at the same time brought to light the many issues behind the upheaval – issues that had previously received little attention in the international media. The paperless immigrants who staged a hunger strike in Paris were only a few of a much larger group: millions of people from impoverished countries who come regularly to France and to other European countries, looking for a better life. Despite coming from French-speaking countries and having necessary job skills, many of these immigrants struggle and feel ignored by the government.
Sitting up late in a hostel in Milan, Pierre, a native of Senegal who had come to Europe looking for a better life, explains the situation in his home country: "When they need a new head for the utilities company, they appoint a Frenchman. All the major corporations in Senegal are owned by French business people. So they can come to Senegal and make money there, but Senegalese come to Europe and they barely think we exist."
In Canada, images of the riots may seem remote, and it feels like a stretch to compare France to Canada, or Paris to Calgary. However, it is difficult not to see parallels: at the same time as riots erupted in Paris, a strike was taking place at the Lakeside packing plant in Brooks, Alberta, and accusations were made that the company was exploiting the many immigrants who work at the plant. While it is a far cry from the race riots in Paris, it is impossible not to ask: is the situation in Canada anything like it is in France?
Jacob Kuon, an immigrant and youth co-ordinator with the African Sudanese Association of Calgary, sees both sides of the story, pointing out that an immigrant's feelings towards their adoptive country vary with their personal circumstances.
"If immigrants have trouble finding a job in Canada, if it is difficult, they are frustrated," he says. And situations such as the strike in Brooks only make matters worse. "If they are being treated badly (by their employer) and they go on strike, and the government is not paying attention, they are going to be unhappy with the government."
His sentiments are echoed by Edna Sutherland, the executive director of the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association. Having been involved with the Sudanese community in Brooks, she says that Lakeside Packers should take more responsibility for the community in which they are such a large employer. She also points to social and economic conditions as important factors in immigrants’ lives.
"The gap is getting wider between rich and poor," she says, calling the riots in Paris "a wake-up call." She notes that Alberta’s minimum wage is still too low and that more affordable housing is needed, and such conditions can add to the challenges faced by new immigrants and lead them to feel marginalized.
Both Kuon and Sutherland agree, however, that it is relatively easy for immigrants to legally find work if they speak English – particularly in Calgary, where jobs are in abundance. At the same time, Kuon says, some immigrants have trouble "finding the job that they wanted," adding that many trained professionals do not have their qualifications recognized in Canada, and must work menial jobs outside their area of expertise in order to make ends meet. Many companies require skilled workers and many immigrants have the right skills, says Sutherland, and it is in the best interests of companies as well as immigrants to allow newcomers to Canada to work in their area of expertise.
One of the major factors cited in the riots in Paris was the high concentration of immigrants in specific suburbs, often made to live in crowded concrete highrises and housing developments called cités, a world away from the grandeur of central Paris. According to Sutherland, some 3,000 Sudanese immigrants call Brooks home — a large minority in a town of 11,600. Although they have gone to Brooks looking for work, rather than having been made to live there by the government, Sutherland says there are still profound social ramifications, and advance planning will be required if Calgary wants to avoid ghettoizing immigrants.
"When affordable housing is built, it should be spread out in the four corners of the city," Sutherland says, "not concentrated in one area."
While he sees some parallels between the experiences of immigrants in France and immigrants in Calgary, Kuon sees Canada as a multicultural society and does not believe that immigrants are marginalized here to the same degree as in France. Sutherland, too, is optimistic about the future, though she feels that there is much that still needs to be done, with corporations as well as governments having a role to play in helping new immigrants find the jobs that they want, integrate successfully, and overcome the financial challenges they face.
In situations such as the Lakeside Packers strike, says Kuon, "the government should step in."
Pierre spoke for a long time, talking about Senegal, his life and the hardships he faced in coming to Europe. He was optimistic when he heard about the hunger strike in Paris: "Nothing will change if we don’t stand up for ourselves." The hunger strikers themselves say the same thing: "This situation cannot continue, the government cannot continue to ignore us," reads one of their pamphlets.
Perhaps the riots in Paris and the resulting media scrutiny will finally force the government to take action in dealing with the economic and social divides that prompted them. And perhaps the strike in Brooks will prompt action in Canada, too. After all, says Pierre, "it is a matter of human rights." |
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