Skip to main content

Media and Politics

Filipiniana News - Rhyme and Reason
15 May 2009 

In the past few months, I was happy to note that the government seemed to be taking a keen interest on the many problems faced by temporary foreign workers in Canada, including participants of the Live-in Caregiver Program.  This was undoubtedly triggered by the extensive media coverage of the unscrupulous practices of recruiters which highlighted the vulnerability of this sector and gave impetus to the various initiatives and proposals meant to protect the long exploited migrant workers.  These initiatives included proposals to regulate recruitment agencies and employers, the creation of a live-in caregiver hotline meant to clarify existing employment standards legislation as applied to the situation of live-in caregivers, nationwide consultations on LCP reforms,  and a rather comprehensive House of Commons standing committee report on proposed reforms to the foreign worker programs. 

Then an allegation of abuse against a prominent politician exploded. Both the politicians and the media went berserk and lost no time in taking advantage of the opportunity to politicize the matter.   Unfortunately, the bigger issues seem to have been forgotten and simply became a convenient backdrop to the political bickering that ensued. 

Ironically, it is again the extensive media coverage of the alleged abuse and illegal acts of this Liberal MP against her caregivers which has veered the focus away from the very same issues that it helped gain some momentum a while back.

While I appreciate the work of persistent investigative reporters who have brought these important issues to the public attention, and even the well-meaning initiatives of politicians,  recent developments to my mind, only served to highlight the following:
·         Media can be a very powerful tool for constructive change.  However if misused and abused, it can also turn into a potent weapon for destruction.  
·         Most (if not all) politicians rely on positive image to survive and to ensure votes for the  next election. Therefore, they will do almost anything to ensure that their public image is always protected.
·         The politicians can be easily sidetracked from the substantial issues once their personal and partisan interests are affected as they will tend to fight tooth and nail to preserve or restore their good reputation. 
·         Public perception as shaped by the media, can easily obfuscate the truth and run roughshod the very basic principles of fairness and due process.

Media and politics clearly play an important part in our democratic system.  But after seeing much sensationalism and petty mudslinging, one cannot help but be cynical about the motives behind almost every media story and every political move.  While it is understandable that there are always differing perspectives to every issue and every circumstance, it is another story when the very basic tenets of truth and justice are already being jeopardized.  Worse, the energy that could have been spent on promoting the public good is being wasted on pursuing selfish ends. 

Call me naïve, but I still long for the day when media, politics and the common good will finally converge to bring about true and lasting solutions to the many problems faced by the long suffering and disadvantaged sectors of society. 

We can dream, can’t we?


The author is an immigration lawyer in Toronto and may be reached at mdsantos@osgoode.yorku.ca. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 Updates for International Students

In the past few years, the number of international students has ballooned at a rapid pace such that they now comprise a significant portion of the temporary resident population in Canada.  In the latest report of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Marco Mendicino to Parliament, he stated that as of December 31, 2018, there were more than 721,000 international study permit holders in Canada, or more than double the number of permanent residents (321,035) admitted that year. Easing Work Restrictions At this time of COVID-19 pandemic therefore, it comes as no surprise that international students are among those hardest hit by the ongoing lockdowns and their economic consequences. Since international student fees are often double or triple the domestic tuition fee rates, one can only imagine the enormous investment that these international students have made to finance their studies and living expenses in Canada.   Hence, it is a great help th
Post a Comment
Read more

Some Tips to Avoid CIC's 'High Error Rate'

Filipiniana News – January 2015 RHYME & REASON Earlier this month, an article came out in the Toronto Star reporting the existence of a "high error rate" in the processing of immigration applications.  The article by Toronto Star reporter Nicholas Keung on 5 January 2015 states in part: The human errors — staff failing to use correct form letters, address missing documents and provide accurate timelines, among other shortcomings — could not only cost individual applicants a chance to live and work in Canada but affect the "efficiency of the system" and create unnecessary backlogs. "An important area of concerns resides with the letters. The number of request letters not sent, sent incomplete or unclear at initial stage and later on create a negative impact on both clients and the Case Processing Centre (in Vegreville, Alta.)," said an evaluation of operations at Vegreville. It was one of three internal reports obtained under an access to
Post a Comment
Read more

Temporary Residents and the Removal Process

Filipiniana News   -   October 2016 Rhyme and Reason Temporary Residents and the Removal Process Legal temporary residents in Canada   consist of those who have valid status as students, workers or visitors.   Due to the ever changing state of Canada’s immigration laws and regulations, they are often the most negatively affected to the point of losing their status due to plain ignorance, misinformation or even carelessness.   Those who may have lost their status are understandably fearful of being removed anytime soon and thrown on the next flight back to their home country.   However, misconceptions about the removal process abound and are misleading even temporary residents who may still have valid status in Canada.   For instance, there are those who are   here as visitors, workers or students whose initial permits may have expired but whose extension applications are still pending, who fear that they may just be picked up by the authorities and detained since
Post a Comment
Read more