This didn’t exactly work but I found it fun to do the exercise –

I went through 5 articles and drew out major themes and the ways that things were justified. My method was too loose, so this doesn’t tell me much, other than that I am still getting the lay of the land.

I’ve also included my stab at culture hacking – my test of the normative claim “naturalize all migrants” – this was useful – and talking about it together was helpful. It got me to the question: What is a non-reformist reform in the struggle for open borders, and what kind of justice can and can’t such a project deliver?

So Marcelin François died and was buried.

Where is he buried?

Mrs. Charles does not know.

She wants to leave.

The number of people

 to benefit from it remains unclear,

several hundred,

even a few thousand

to the maximum.

The major part

would reside in Quebec.

if these jobs

deemed essential

during this crisis,

 will not have access.

Limited program

with regret

the regularization program

only a small proportion

the eligibility criteria

are very restricted

Not perfect,

better than nothing

a “special program”

Reserve

some criteria

very specific.

this way

quick access

must have

submitted their application

before

got a permit

prior

the professions

designated,

temporary employment agencies.

An uncertain future

 exceptional measures

in recognition

their exceptional service.

Why abandon our “guardian angels”?

following a long negotiation

Quebec and Ottawa,

generous and proportional

risks and sacrifices

a persistent refusal

his political weight

to restrict

It appears to us,

respectfully,

this position must be reviewed

in the name of our

collective

interest.

permanent residence through

All categories

are not covered.

amazing people

heroic work.

the liberal government

had considered

wider accessibility.

warmly greeted

But in the end,

this will not be the case.

who opposed, behind the scenes,

such an opening?

Quebec must also

issue a certificate

hence the need to get along

with the Legault government

who proposed

a case-by-case basis.

I have been struggling to articulate a project that feels compelling and relevant and doable. Mostly I’ve just felt overwhelmed and tired and sad, and maybe over-focused on the big picture, in ways that have encumbered my progress. I just had to decide a place to start – so I think this will be it:

Context: Québec has acknowledged the existence of “Guardian Angels”. The Premier, François Legault, used this name to speak of the asylum seekers who worked in healthcare during the first wave of the pandemic. His party, the Coalition Avenir Québec (yes, the CAQ) campaigned on a limited immigration, assimilationist platform that is neither separatist, nor federalist per ce. The pandemic, however, created an opportunity to shine a light on the crucial role of migrant labor in the province, particularly in care and agriculture work.

A group of activists working under the banner of “Debout pour la dignité” (Standing up for dignity), lobbied the province for regularization for migrant essential workers through the first part of the pandemic. Meanwhile other groups have been calling for Status for All, and the regularization of all migrants, not just a limited swath of ‘essential’ workers. Debout pour la dignité succeeded in getting the media attention necessary, and Legault and Trudeau put together a plan which should regularize some asylum seekers who worked in old folks homes and hospitals during the early days of the crisis. The program is called “The Special Program for Asylum Seekers During COVID-19″.

For my contribution to our collective project, I will do a discourse analysis around this special program, to consider how the pandemic is used to secure/destabilize different visions of the migration regime. First, I will analyze the program itself and any media that has been released about it. I will also attempt to get information from the government about the decision-making process (any tips on how to do this would be welcome!).

Simultaneously, I will look at media coverage of the program inside Québec and Canada, with a keen eye to how ideas of sovereignty(ies), territory, and securitization are mobilized.

I’m still thinking about my redefinitions, but I’ll have them posted in another post real soon!