Sanctuary city: what a promise can do, and what it can't

On February 20, 2017, Montreal city council unanimously adopted a declaration making the city a "sanctuary city." The City committed to offering access to its programs and services, including housing, to everyone regardless of status, and asked the federal government for a program to regularize undocumented residents.

On December 5, 2018, however, when she unveiled her first immigration action plan, Mayor Valérie Plante dropped the expression, which refers to American legal notions. The City, home to some 50,000 people without status according to Global News, cannot legally protect them from a deportation ordered by federal authorities. The plan focused instead on concrete steps: removing the requirement for proof of address at libraries and pools, and working with the SPVM so that vulnerable people dare to ask for help without fearing for their status.

In June 2019, Montreal launched its policy on access to municipal services without fear. A municipal promise cannot do everything: it cannot stop a removal order. But it can make sure a mother signs her children up at the library, a family swims at the neighbourhood pool, a person in danger dares to call for help. The rest, regularization included, depends on Ottawa, and on the voices of citizens who refuse to let their neighbours live in the shadows.