Churches Witnessing With Migrants

By CWWM-Canada

Approximately 50 migrant workers, faith leaders, migrant service providers, and community advocates gathered at the Interfaith Forum for Migrant Justice organized by the Canadian chapter of the Churches Witnessing With Migrants (CWWM). The Forum was at the Charbonnel Lounge, University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto last June 24-25, 2026.

These individuals and groups came together to discuss how to help build and strengthen interfaith solidarity for migrant justice, discuss the impacts of Canada’s anti-imm/migrant immigration policies, and advance campaigns for regularization and the abolition of closed work permits.

Johnny Moore, a Cree author and Fire Keeper, opened the forum with greetings, prayer and an intentional ritual with sacred tobacco, and reflected on the interconnectedness of the struggles of migrants and that of the First Nations.

Rev. Ariel Siagan of the Asbury & West United Church in Toronto spoke about the moral and spiritual responsibility of churches to resist systems that reduce people to labour, price, or function and perpetuate conditions of modern-day slavery. “When a person is turned into a price unit, that person becomes a commodity,” said Rev. Siagan. “This dehumanizes people and strips them of their desires, dignity, and full humanity. Churches must be a counterforce to systems that normalize this.”

Joey Calugay of the Montreal-based Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CT) talked about the immediate and harmful impact of Bill C-12 on migrants, like the information-sharing between government bodies, the increased budgets provided to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) resulting in higher enforcement and deportations, powers to cancel immigration documents, and restrictions that affect access to asylum claims. Calugay said this broader escalation in anti-migrant policy and actions saw 22,500 people deported in 2025 and 20,000 more planned deportations this year (source: CBSA, 2026); and Montreal has been the most hard hit by CBSA operations.

Wanda Chell of the Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education (AWARE) spoke about children in Alberta who are being denied access to education in Alberta schools because of their parents’ precarious immigration status. “Children living in Alberta should not be denied access to school because of their immigration status,” Chell emphasized. Chell highlighted advocacy efforts around the grassroots campaign Education for All and the Dreamers School led by IMA-Alberta, Migrante Alberta and supported by AWARE.

The Canadian chapter of CWWM in discussions about its  organizational structure and future direction, moved from a historically church-based network towards a broader, more inclusive interfaith movement. This affirmed that the network welcomes diverse spiritual traditions and cooperation among grassroots migrant organizations, faith communities, and service providers.

Moving forward into the next couple of years, CWWM-Canada looks forward to a shared multilingual repository of education and campaign resources and materials in multiple languages, the mapping of allies and organizations, and a structure of regional conveners in cities across Canada.

As Fr. Dante Coloma of the IFI Greater Toronto Area reminded everyone, “Today, we affirm that migration is not merely an economic issue—it is a sacred human journey. Behind every migrant is a family longing for hope, a worker sacrificing for loved ones, and a child dreaming of a brighter future. The Church is called not only to welcome migrants but also to stand with them, defend their dignity, and challenge every system that creates poverty, displacement, and forced migration. Our faith compels us to transform compassion into action and prayers into prophetic witness.”

The Interfaith Forum united on a shared commitment to build an inclusive, grassroots, and action-oriented movement rooted in faith, dignity, and solidarity with migrants and migrant workers.

To contact the Canadian chapter of the CWWM, email: cwwmcanada@gmail.com