Guardian angels: those who watched over us

In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 hit hospitals and long-term care homes hard. Among those who kept working there were asylum seekers, people whose status in the country was not yet settled. On August 14, 2020, in Montreal, the federal government announced a temporary measure to open a pathway to permanent residence for them. Quebec selects for itself the people who wish to live on its territory.

The conditions were precise. Applicants had to have claimed asylum before March 13, 2020, and to have worked at least 120 hours between March 13 and August 14, 2020, providing direct patient care: orderlies, nurses and nursing assistants, for example. Spouses and dependent children already in Canada were also included. Applications were accepted from December 14, 2020, to August 31, 2021. Advocacy groups regretted that other front-line workers, such as cleaning, kitchen or security staff, were left out.

As of September 30, 2023, 9,060 people, families included, had become permanent residents through this program, 3,494 of whom intended to live in Quebec. Behind these numbers lies a very simple idea, close to Ubuntu: those who care for our parents are already part of the "us." The question is how far we want to widen the circle.