"I worked hard during the pandemic, so I want to stay here," Mama Dukonate said on Monday. "This is not the way you repay someone."
Some long-term care during the first wave of pandemic Asylum seekers working at the facility were one step closer to deportation on Monday.
Mamadou Konatéwas talked about last year when it was supported by supporters and politicians as an example of how immigrants sought help during the pandemic. It became . A 41-year-old native of the Ivory Coast signed COVID-19 while working at CHSLD.
In return for his good work, Konate wants the Canadian government to keep him here forever.
However, during a meeting with Canadian Border Services officials on Monday, Konate was asked to sign a form that border officials would use to obtain travel documents from the Ivory Coast Embassy. rice field.
"They are looking for travel documents that can deport him," said his lawyer, Stewart Istvanfi.
Before the meeting, dozens of his supporters gathered outside the CBSA office in downtown Montreal.
"I want to work hard during the pandemic and stay here," he told his supporters. "This is not the way you repay someone."
Since arriving in Quebec in 2016, Konate has cut down trees for Hydro Quebec, in warehouses and state-wide transportation companies. I've been working.
Faced with deportation, he was detained by immigration authorities in September 2020 after asking about his position.
Konate first heard that Prime Minister François Legoe mentioned the extraordinary staff shortage that plagued the medical network early in the pandemic. After that, he decided to support him.
However, he was not allowed to apply for refugee status because he was a member of a group involved in the civil war in his country 20 years ago.
Canada's Immigration Act states that no one who participates in the overthrow of the government can seek residence in Canada.
Konaté was a member of Forces Nouvelles, but he never had a gun or committed a crime, Istvanffy added.
He was a refugee in Nigeria and Liberia for many years before coming to Canada in early 2016.
Istvanffy fails to remove the client's "disapproval" and Konate is given temporary residence permission.
The Kebeck government has launched a program to allow asylum seekers who have worked in the healthcare system throughout the pandemic to reside .
However, this program applies only to those who have worked directly with the patient. Many people who have done other important tasks, such as cleaning the staff of a long-term care center, are excluded.
Istvanffy said his client has worked throughout Quebec for the past six years and knows the state better than he does.
"He blended well with Canada and worked everywhere in Quebec. He started working (at CHSLD) when many didn't want to work."
kwilton@postmedia.com
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