Filipiniana News - Rhyme or Reason
15 April 2009
Please pardon me for devoting yet another
column on this matter but it is an issue which increasingly resonates within
our community, which is known to be the biggest source of live-in caregivers in
Canada. Those who have been following
the series of Toronto Star investigative articles in the past few weeks
involving abuse and exploitation of live-in caregivers would have also heard
about the government’s quick response through a number of actual and proposed
legislative reforms which led one article to conclude, “Victory for Nannies”.
These are of course welcome developments
and enough reason to be hopeful that long overdue changes are finally
happening. However, I also cannot help
but be cautiously optimistic as recent developments have emphasized the
continuing need for vigilant advocacy.
A relevant change that has been recently
implemented is the granting of provincial medical (OHIP) coverage to most open
work permit holders. This is certainly
good news to many live-in caregivers who are issued open work permits while
awaiting the processing of their permanent resident applications. However, this change still does not cover
those who are on implied status. Those on implied status include
caregivers (or other work permit holders) who have submitted their open work
permit (or renewal) applications prior to the expiry of their existing
permits. They are able to retain their
legal temporary status under the same terms and conditions of their expired
work permits, until they receive the decision on their applications. While it is not exactly known why the OHIP
administrators failed to consider this situation (implied status), one can reasonably
attribute it to the fact that immigration law (where the implied status concept
originated) is a matter of federal jurisdiction while healthcare coverage is a
matter falling with the provincial jurisdiction. One would think that government bureaucrats
would be prudent enough to coordinate across jurisdictional boundaries to
ensure cohesive and sensible governance.
But as this simple example illustrates, even that may be a bit too much
to ask, it seems.
A second welcome development again arose
within the provincial level when MPP Mike Colle introduced a private member’s
bill meant to protect caregivers from the unscrupulous practices of recruitment
agencies and employers. This was followed by a commitment from the provincial
government itself to introduce a government bill that will go along similar
lines. While this extraordinary move is
indeed a cause for rejoicing, we have yet to see the actual
government-sponsored bill that is supposed to replace MPP Colle’s initial
proposal. MPP Peter Fonseca, who is also
the current provincial labour minister, backtracked on his earlier position
that the protection of caregivers is a matter that is within the federal
government’s jurisdiction. He later
agreed, following MPP Colle’s proposal, to enact measures that will mirror the
protections already in place for foreign workers in other provinces such as
Manitoba. But since the wheels of
government legislative process grind exceedingly slow, we may have to wait a
few more months (not years, hopefully) before concrete legal reforms are
enacted, much less implemented.
Meanwhile, it has also been reported that
Citizenship and Immigration Canada Minister Jason Kenney is conducting
consultations across the country on possible areas of immigration law reform,
particularly within the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). No doubt, this is a
golden opportunity to try to influence the current federal immigration
minister’s views on effecting long-overdue changes to the LCP. The Minister’s decision to conduct
wide-ranging consultations is commendable.
However, we hope that these are genuine consultations with the intention
of truly listening to the actual experiences and situation of the very people
who are affected by the law, the caregivers themselves. While there are those
who claim to articulate the caregivers’ views and/or to speak on their behalf,
it is not the same as when the voices of the caregivers themselves are heard.
For it is only upon hearing their stories that the Minister (and others able to
influence change) will be convinced that at least the following aspects of the
LCP need an urgent overhaul:
1.
the mandatory live-in requirement – the caregivers’ stories will prove
how rampant the employers’ abuses are and how easy it is to take advantage of
the caregivers within this context
2.
extremely poignant stories of, and often irreparable harm arising from,
family separation
3.
pervasive insecurity arising from lack of permanent resident status
4.
loss of dignity and freedom caused by the employer-specific nature of
the LCP work permit
5.
vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation due to lack of enforcement
mechanisms against abusers as well as the lengthy processing times of LCP
immigration applications (whether for the initial work permit, renewals and
permanent resident application processing).
Only time will tell if the recent
legislative changes introduced and ongoing consultations being conducted in
respect of the situation of foreign workers and caregivers, will actually
produce effective and long-lasting results.
Only time will tell if the Canadian government and its people will truly
live up to its proud tradition of respecting human rights for all.
We should therefore keep up the pressure
and unceasingly remind the lawmakers and other powers-that-be that that time is
now.
The author is an immigration lawyer in
Toronto and may be reached at mdsantos@osgoode.yorku.ca.
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