A People Centered Model for Migration: Imagining a Different Future for Rural Migration in the Canadian Settler-State

Although the economic and geographic landscapes of Canada are largely non-urban, the dynamics of mobility and migration are framed in almost entirely urban terms. As a settler-colonial state, Canada is dependent on both rural and urban spaces and populations as sources of labour and production within a staples-based economy. However, little attention has been paid to the asymmetries of the policy-making and state-building practices of the nation-state in order to maintain its economic and political viability. These asymmetries can be found in multiple policy domains, but are particularly prevalent in the governance of migration and mobility. Utilizing a scenario-planning methodology, this project focused on understanding the gaps between national migration policy and governance strategies, and the local realities and place-based experiences of migration in non-urban spaces. In 2023, we invited individuals working on-the-ground with migrants in rural and peripheral regions to attend a series of in-person, participant-led workshops. Held in Lethbridge, AB, Prince George, BC, and Antigonish, NS, the one-day workshops offered participants an opportunity to engage with the broader geographical, political, and social systems that influence their work and structure their localized experiences. In 2024, a fourth and final workshop was held in Ottawa, the capital city, with relevant policymakers and advocacy groups to facilitate a conversation with those directly involved in migration governance, policy design and implementation. In total, over 60 individuals participated in the project. The results of the workshops highlight the discursive disconnect and paradigmatic dissonance between the Canadian state and the local, non-urban realities of migration governance. In many cases, the very purpose of migration and use of migration policy was challenged by the two groups, with Ottawa emphasizing the need for more economic-based migration and employment opportunities, and rural communities stressing the need to understand migration holistically, as more than purely a way to facilitate labour substitution. Utilizing the paired theoretical concepts of the integrity gap and the innovation gap to understand the results of these workshops, I argue that national perspectives on mobility are understood within long-standing and institutionalized priorities grounded in labour supply, mobility, and substitution that are consistent with a 300 year history of extractive, colonial economic development. In contrast, the data from rural communities reflect a more nuanced, universalist and people-centric perspective, that while inclusive of economic and labour realities, is significantly more attune to the socio-cultural, linguistic, spiritual, familial and political challenges and opportunities of rural migration. The integrity gap speaks to the disconnect between that national interest and the local, non-urban reality. Additionally, the innovation gap reflects the long-standing institutional inertia of the Canadian state as defined by its economic national interest, and both historical and ongoing role as a supplier of primary resources to the global market. In conclusion, I explore an alternative to the current state-sponsored, economic-centric model of migration policy, as put forward by rurally-based workshop participants, and discuss how such a policy fundamentally challenges the foundational (and ongoing) settler-colonial and extractive logics of the Canadian state both domestically and on the international stage.