National Post (National Edition)
TRUDEAU HIRED NANNY USING TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM.
Justin Trudeau made two applications to bring foreign nannies into Canada to look after his children, before he became leader of the Liberal Party and a vocal critic of the temporary foreign worker program, which he blames for driving down wages and displacing Canadian workers.
An Access to Information inquiry into whether Trudeau or his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, had ever sought a labour market opinion — the first move for anyone looking to hire foreign workers — was refused on privacy grounds.
But Olivier Duchesneau, Trudeau’s deputy director of communications, confirmed that the Prime Minister and his wife had applied to bring two nannies into the country.
“Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Grégoire Trudeau submitted one successful application to the temporary foreign worker program for a caregiver, prior to Mr. Trudeau becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. Employment with this individual ceased before Mr. Trudeau became leader of the Liberal Party.”
He said a second application was made but was later withdrawn and did not go through the process.
Both nannies who now work for the family are Canadian citizens, he said. Trudeau was criticized after the election when it emerged that the nannies — Marian Puego and Marilou Trayvilla — had been put on the public payroll, even though the Prime Minister had argued during the campaign that well-off families like his own did not need taxpayers’ help.
The news that Trudeau once employed a nanny who entered Canada under the live-in caregiver program adds fresh context to his views on importation of foreign workers. Critics of the live-in caregiver program suggest that nannies are hired from countries like the Philippines, not because they are uniquely qualified, but because they will accept lower pay than Canadians.
In a column in the Toronto Star in 2014, Trudeau criticized the Harper government for expanding the temporary foreign worker program, resulting in a wage cuts and unemployment for Canadians.
In their election platform, the Liberals said they would work with provinces and territories to develop a system of regulated companies to hire caregivers on behalf of families, allowing nannies to change employers in the case of bad relations or abuse.
The Prime Minister’s Office was unable to provide any details about the fate of the Trudeau family’s former nanny but caregivers brought into the country under existing legislation would have to return home if their employment was terminated. Work permits granted to live-in caregivers prevent them from being able to find work with another family.
The Liberals also pledged to eliminate the $1,000 fee for families looking for caregivers for family members with physical or mental disabilities.
But they have not said whether they will reverse Conservative changes that restricted the number of those caring for children and people with high medical needs to 5,500 applicants a year. That number is well below the previous five-year average of around 8,000 caregiver arrivals.
Syed Hussan, coordinator of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said his organization opposes the move to allow regulated companies to hire nannies on behalf of families. “It simply adds an employer. Recruitment agencies are part of the cycle of abuse.” He advocates open work permits for caregivers, to allow them access to a free labour market, and immediate permanent residency on landing.
A spokesman for Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk said changes are coming to the temporary foreign worker program “guided by a desire to better protect workers in the program and create a path to citizenship.”
The parliamentary committee looking at temporary foreign workers is hearing from witnesses, including live-in caregivers.
“We see advice on improving protections and support for live-in caregivers as a good thing,” said John O’Leary, Mihychuk’s spokesman.
The program was overhauled by the Conservatives in 2014, after a series of stories alleged abuses.
In response to the scandal, Trudeau wrote an op-ed article in the Toronto Star that argued the temporary foreign worker program needed to be scaled back “dramatically” and refocused to fill jobs on a limited bases when no Canadian workers can be found.
However, under pressure from seasonal industries, the Liberals have adopted a more relaxed approach, quietly announcing that industries like fish plants, hotels and restaurants will be able to hire unlimited numbers of temporary foreign workers for up to 180 days a year.