Non-status workers and the official discourse in Canada : a case of convenience

This paper makes a critical assessment of the study conducted by the CIMM (Standing Committee on Immigration and Citizenship) on undocumented and temporary foreign workers. It examines records of three moments of the process: (i) minutes of meetings during the assessment phase; (ii) the CIMM Report; (iii) and the Government Response. The argument sustained throughout the paper is that government's negative representation of non-status workers is conveniently constructed to avoid policy changes and consequently sustains the irregular movement of migrants.