Flash mob celebrates migrant caregivers
Family helpers endure years of family separation on difficult path to residency, says Drolet
For Natalie Drolet, this Mother’s Day was about the women who help Canada’s mothers be mothers — the caregivers who support and take care of other people’s children under the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.
Drolet, executive director and staff lawyer for Vancouver’s Migrant Workers Centre, decided to help draw attention to caregivers with a Mother’s Day flash mob at Robson Square, to the tune of She Works Hard for the Money.
Currently, foreign caregivers in Canada seeking a pathway to permanent residency wait on average up to eight years, during which time they’re separated from their families, said Drolet. “It’s heartbreaking.”
In addition, caregivers are tied to a single employer — if things don’t work out, they don’t have the option of seeking other employment.
“We want to raise awareness of the work caregivers do. They endure years of family separation, and it’s become more difficult to become permanent residents. They contribute to the economy and their work should be valued,” said Drolet.
Drolet estimates that in the Lower Mainland there are about 5,0006,000 care workers, mainly from the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Latin America and Brazil.
Last February, the federal government began a closed-door review of Canada’s migrant Caregiver Program, which had been in place since 2014. Under the program, caregivers must stay with one employer, and be employed for 24 months before they can begin the process of applying for permanent residency for themselves and other family members.
“The government hasn’t said what will replace the current program,” said Drolet. The Migrant Workers Centre is asking the federal government to open the consultation process to “centre the voices of migrant workers and their families”, and to make it more transparent.
Drolet said it’s very difficult for migrant caregivers to voice their concerns, even in poor conditions,
in part because they have no other avenue to residency and can’t seek other employment. “The vast majority of caregivers won’t file complaints because it’s too risky,” said Drolet.
Advocates want to see the federal government create a path to permanent residency after one year of work, (the same requirement that applies under the Canadian Experience Class for other skilled workers), remove the requirement of one year of post-secondary education, clear the permanent-residency backlog and facilitate family reunification with open work and study permits for family members.
But Mother’s Day is also about celebrating. “We are holding this event to celebrate in a fun way that caregivers are mothers, and to acknowledge the important work they do caring for other families,” said Drolet.