Paper short abstract:

This study explores migrant justice organizing in Toronto, revealing how these groups address community needs and form coalitions for collective advocacy. The results offer insights for effective mobilization of Just Transition efforts towards labor and environmental justice.

Paper long abstract:

As a movement that originated through a coalition between labour and environmental justice groups, Just Transition aims to include workers and marginalized communities in the transition towards a low-carbon economy (Stevis &Felli, 2015).

However, in Canada, dominant Just Transition policies and calls-to-action tend to focus on how workers and communities may benefit from more ‘sustainable’ jobs and economies (Mertins-Kirkwood & Deshpande, 2019), rather than addressing the deeper socio-economic transformations needed for labour and environmental justice (Dobrusin, 2021; Ciplet, 2022). As suggested by Dobrusin (2021), Just Transition can potentially drive these transformations, particularly through efforts that “mobilize through the margins”.

To explore this concept, this study examines migrant justice organizing in Toronto, a migrant-led movement that empowers workers in precarious positions to lead and define advocacy efforts (Migrant Justice Network, n.d.). Semi-structured interviews with staff and organizers from grassroots and service-based migrant organizations reveal common approaches to addressing community needs, and forming alliances with other causes and groups for mutual aid and collective advocacy. This study aims to inform Just Transition organizing by emphasizing the importance of centering marginalized workers and communities to lead and mobilize actions that challenge colonial systems and industries, ultimately advancing labour and environmental justice.