#goodenoughtoworkgoodenoughtostay Members and friends of PMSC: You have probably heard that the Canadian government is considering making changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program or #LCP. On this, please read and circulate #Migrante Canadas statement below. WE DEMAND FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO THE LIVE-IN CAREGIVER PROGRAM TO PROTECT CAREGIVERS AND SUPPORT CANADIAN FAMILIES. Each year, thousands of Filipino women arrive in Canada to care for young children, the sick, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, leaving behind their own families. They provide valuable support to Canadian families, but are often subject to difficult working conditions, abuse and exploitation. The absence of a national childcare and eldercare policy means Canadian families have little recourse but to use the Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP) to meet their needs. Middle-class families are placed in a crippling financial situation and are increasingly turning to the LCP for help. The demand for caregiving is long-term. Our recent study shows that 68% of live-in caregivers continue to do care work at least three to five years after exiting the program. The mandatory live-in requirement makes caregivers vulnerable to abuse. Due to their temporary status in Canada, they are often unable to negotiate for better working conditions and are reluctant to complain. When they try to escape abusive employers, they are subject to long delays in the processing of their new work permits and face the threat of deportation. Many foreign caregivers are professionals — teachers, nurses, accountants and engineers, to name a few. While providing care for others, they lose their skills that they will need to have a bright future in Canada. To make matters worse, their aspirations for a better life are often taken advantage of by unscrupulous placement and recruitment agencies. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander plans to modernize the LCP. He has held closed-door non-transparent consultations with a few selected members of the Filipino community and industry representatives. He is not interested in holding real consultations to give voice to migrant workers and their advocates. The planned changes of the minister are not in line with the changes that Migrante Canada, caregivers and their advocates have been fighting for over the last two decades. Since the late 1990s, caregivers and their advocates have been demanding fundamental changes that will benefit the caregivers. Now is the time to reassert our basic demands! GOOD ENOUGH TO WORK, GOOD ENOUGH TO STAY! -Migrante Canada migrante.ca
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 01:25:02 +0000
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