Cartas de Opinion New Democrat Immigration Critic
Minority Report

Dear friends,

I would like to share my opinion on a number of important issues outlined in my minority report which accompanies the recently tabled Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration Temporary Foreign Workers report. Some of the recommendations that we pushed for did not make it into the Committee’s report—such as granting landed immigrant status to Live-In Caregivers—yet, these important issues will not disappear from the debate because we will continue the advocacy work to make our dreams become reality.

Below is a brief outline of the issues I discuss in the minority report:

We think that Live-In Caregivers play a crucial role in 1) nation building – and as such they should be granted Landed Immigrant status. Because Live-In Caregivers are so crucial to the nation, they should be 2) socially included—for example, they should receive healthcare coverage and a complete orientation program. Finally, Live-In Caregivers need to be 3) protected. We feel that the Committee’s recommendation that the government prosecute unscrupulous agencies and employers does not go far enough. The best way to protect Live-In Caregivers is to provide them with dedicated advocacy offices across the country.

• Nation Building
My minority report recommends that Live-In Caregivers be granted landed immigrant status upon arrival to Canada. We feel that the Standing Committee’s recommendation that the three-year period to complete the twenty-four month work requirement be extended by one year would only partially alleviate some of the problems experienced by Live-In Caregivers.

• Social Inclusion
I also argue that Live-In Caregivers should receive basic employment rights, such as health and safety coverage, housing standards, minimum wage and the right to collective bargaining. Moreover, Live-In Caregivers and their families should be provided with a complete orientation program immediately upon their arrival. While I am greatly satisfied with the fact that the Committee’s report recommends the adoption of the Juana Tejada law, it falls short of the NDP mandate of social inclusion for all temporary foreign workers.

• Protecting Live-In Caregivers
I strongly argue for the establishment of advocacy offices throughout the country. A better serviced and informed workforce would inevitably empower workers, thus making them less vulnerable to abuses and exploitation. While the Committee’s report recommends that the government of Canada collaborate with advocacy agencies and other non-governmental non-profit organizations—in Canada and overseas—to help provide information sessions to prospective and current Live-In Caregivers, the lack of a clear plan on how this will be accomplished is greatly disappointing. We all know that current resources here and abroad are stretched to the limit. Without clearly dedicated advocacy offices, issues raised by Live-In Caregivers risk getting lost amongst the sheer number of other cases piling on top of swamped bureaucrats’ desks.

Another important aspect of the Committee’s report focuses on unscrupulous recruiting agencies and employers. The recommendations on this issue are threefold. The first is to put a stop to unscrupulous agencies and employers by referring cases of abuse to law enforcement agencies, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultant, and provincial law societies for prosecution or discipline under current laws; the second is the recommendation to establish monitoring teams that would perform unannounced spot checks of working and housing conditions; and finally the third recommendation would result in denying employers access to workers should they violate labour code standards, or the terms of an employment agreement, or provincial recruitment provisions. The question that remains to be answered is how does the government think these recommendations will be applied without the support of dedicated advocacy offices?

A CALL TO ACTION
We need to lobby the government to implement the recommendations outlined in my minority report. With respect to Live-In Caregivers, the focus should be on Nation Building, Social Inclusion, and Protection. Let us make our dreams reality.

Please go to my website at www.oliviachow.ca and click on the “download” tab to download my “Support Temporary Foreign Workers” petition.

Please send me your stories by e-mail at chowo@parl.gc.ca or write to:
Olivia Chow, MP
362 West Block,
House Of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Pamela Jiles.

Publicado 08 de mayo del 2009




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