Canada embraces its immigrant soccer stars. Where's the support for migrant rights?

This column is an opinion by Sarah Adjekum, a social worker, educator and PhD candidate based in Hamilton. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

This World Cup has elevated migrant issues to the centre stage. From diverse national squads featuring athletes with migrant histories to the human rights concerns in Qatar, for viewers, the issues have been unavoidable. 

Canadians especially have regarded the tournament with mixed emotions. The controversies in Qatar could not completely dampen the excitement of Canada's return to the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.

But amid the celebrations, there were calls for a diplomatic boycott, like what had occurred at the Beijing Olympics several months prior.

As a country with a settler, colonial past and a complicated relationship with migrants, the issues that have unfolded recently in Qatar must give Canadians pause as we prepare to co-host our own World Cup in 2026.

The controversy surrounding Qatar is not unprecedented. The country's successful bid was quickly mired in claims of corruption, often oozing with Islamophobia and orientalism. 

And yet, the reports of migrant deaths have been startling. In the years since Qatar was named as the host for the World Cup, it is alleged that over 6,750 migrant workers have died building tournament infrastructure. 

Qatar had denied that the casualties were higher than 37 until recently, when Hassan Al-Thawadi, secretary general of Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, claimed in a television interview that the number was between 400 and 500. Despite calls for a diplomatic boycott, Canadian International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan travelled to Qatar in support of the World Cup.

Canadians need to look inward

The loss of life that has occurred in Qatar is alarming. But Canada's own treatment of migrants leaves little leeway for rebuke. 

Over the past several years, Canada has normalized the mass incarceration of migrants through the practice of arbitrary detention. Between 2019 and 2020, approximately 9,000 migrants languished in provincial prisons as they awaited administrative hearings. In one unusual case, a man found himself in legal limbo and spent seven years in prison.

It's a stark contrast to the perception Canada has in the international community as a country of immigrants and a staunch supporter of human rights. 

In many ways, Canada's own FIFA squad embodies our pro-diversity image. It features several Canadians of international origins, including veteran goalie Milan Borjan, and Alphonso Davies, who came to Hamilton and Edmonton, respectively, as refugees. Additionally, there are also a number of first generation newcomers like Ismael Koné of Montreal, and second-generation immigrant Jonathan Osorio of Brampton, Ont. 

Undeniably, these world-class athletes achieved something historic. But, rather than enhance opportunities for migrants, like those that put the World Cup within our reach, we have seen Canada backslide and undermine migrant rights at home.

An international issue

Canada is by no means unique in the diversity of its squad. Who can forget former Daily Show host Trevor Noah's joke about 2018 World Cup victors, France. His comment about France's team being mainly African in origin drew backlash and the ire of the French Ambassador to the U.S., Gérard Araud. 

But Noah's response highlighted an often overlooked cause of migration: colonialism. While countries like Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany and the United States may tout the diversity of their teams as a reflection of their national ethos, migrants from colonized nations cannot ignore the role they played in the disruption and displacement of their countries. Worst still are the barriers these countries now impose on the populations seeking refuge on their shores. 

This context has been painfully apparent as the tournament has unfolded. Some teams have gone as far as to stage protests against colonialism and human rights violations. And online quips about countries facing off against their colonizers have been saying the quiet part out loud; for many, the geopolitical and colonial histories have been a tangible part of the matches. 

And perhaps, that is the possibility that sports affords us. The opportunity to confront complicated histories on the pitch. 

But as the tournament draws to a close with little acknowledgement of the human toll from organizers, it is a reminder that there are some issues that cannot be resolved in a competitive match; that require us to do more than sit and watch.