Very early in the pandemic, Canada put a pause on deportations. Conditions were unsafe, the world had stopped, and a lot of these workers were doing jobs Canadians badly needed done. But the pause didn't last long, and since deportations have resumed more than 18,000 people have been sent back to their country of origin, even as frontline labour is at a premium and some of them face health and safety risks upon their return.

What's the rationale behind this? What options do these aspiring Canadians have? And could we have found a different way?

GUEST: Isabel Macdonald, researcher and writer based in Montreal, writing for The Walrus

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