Pinoy caregivers urge Fil-Canadians to vote wisely in Canadian polls

A group of Filipino caregivers in Canada has called on registered Filipino-Canadian voters there to choose Canada's next leaders wisely, noting that new regulations in the caregiver program implemented by the current administration had made them more vulnerable to exploitation.

The call came a month before the Canadian federal election on October 19, 2015, where incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative party will try to maintain the majority of their seats.

A report on Rabble said Caregiver Action Centre's (CAC) Karina Francisco, in a press conference on August 30, slammed Harper and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander for "pretending to be the friends of immigrants" and for "repeatedly lying" to caregivers.

Francisco said the changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program, which started in November last year,  have "worsened" conditions for immigrants as it "increased processing times, and have resulted in a 90 per cent rejection rate for new caregiver applications".

CAC member Johnna Uchi told the Toronto Star that the changes implemented by the Conservative government made it difficult for caregivers to receive a positive Labour Market impact Assessment (LMIA), a certificate needed to justify their employment.

“There has been no improvement. Our members can’t get the LMIA. If they leave an abusive employer, they will be punished because they need the LMIA to work,” she said.

“Voters in the Filipino community, and all voters, must vote wisely. Don’t just think of what is happening now to the program, but think of what’s going to happen to the community in the long run," she added.

A Rabble report said only 10 percent of all LMIA applications for caregivers were accepted between January and March of 2015.

Because of the higher rejection rates, caregivers are, as Uchi speculated, more reluctant to leave abusive employers due to the 3,900 work-hour requirement for caregivers to apply for permanent residence.

Teta Bayan of the CAC said, "Canada has a great need for caregivers for the elderly, for children, for people with disabilities and with high medical needs. It is through this program that Canadians can [meet] their caregiving needs. Therefore, caregivers should be given security of status." —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more