Advocacy groups to press on without Sgro

Advocacy groups to press on without Sgro

The Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ), the Philippine Women’s Centre of Toronto (PWC) and advocacy groups of  migrant workers and Live-in-Caregiver (LCP participants are preparing a series of educational campaigns and community protests against Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Minister Judy Sgro for her apparent lack of concern for issues  affecting caregiver and migrant issues.
But the target of their ire has resigned today, January 14, on the heels of two controversial ethical issues involving her handling of immigration matters.

Despite Minster Sgro’s resignation, CASJ and the PWC still plan to go ahead with a Press Conference on January 22 at the Scarborough Civic Centre. The press event precedes the official launching and induction of officers and new members of the Community Alliance for Social Justice.

The press conference will call attention to the widespread problems faced by Canada’s Live-in Caregivers and immigrants’ access to trades and professions.  It will also press on with issues brought forward personally to Minister Sgro by representatives of CASJ regarding the proposal to scrap the live-in provisions of the caregiver program, the granting of landed immigrant status and benefits to caregivers and CIC’s exclusion of representatives of the PWC of Toronto and CASJ to the round table discussion in Ottawa this week. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has announced a review of the Live-in Caregiver Program.

PWC Chair Joy Sioson questioned why CASJ and PWC were not included in the lists of participants. The two advocacy groups submitted their names to CIC Canada on the occasion of its current review of the LCP Program.

Vancouver-based National Alliance of Filipino Women in Canada (NAFWC0 chair Cecilia Diocson also protested CIC’s decision to allow only one member of their alliance to attend the round-table discussion.
PWC’s Ms. Sioson said “it is hypocritical for CIC to hold a review of the LCP when in reality it denies advocacy groups like CASJ and PWC of Toronto and NAFWC the chance to air problems plaguing domestic workers to sit on their discussion panel and speak about the reality confronting caregivers, 90 percent of whom are Filipino women.”

Sioson added that “majority of Filipino women coming to Canada under the LCP are nurses or have nursing training and experience but are not allowed to practice their profession because of the stringent requirements of the live-in caregiver program.

“Many have passed the Canadian licensing exam but are not allowed to practice nursing.”
Mel Catre, Co-Chair of CASJ hopes the incoming Immigration Minister replacing Sgro will bring a transparent, fair and honest management of immigration policies, rules and laws.