NOTEBOOK: CASJ: Correcting Social Injustices

NOTEBOOK: CASJ: Correcting Social Injustices

In this column, I’m reprinting my opening remarks on the 6th anniversary event of the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ).

But first, some housekeeping about the raging debate between Joe Rivera and Julius Tiangson. See page 13 for Rivera’s blog (An Uncomplicated Mind), page 14 for Tiangson’s commentary, and Rivera’s rejoinder; and page 15 for Tiangson’s reply to the rejoinder.

I first received a copy of Rivera’s blog which I usually publish with permission. Then I received a copy of Tiangson’s sketchy commentary forwarded to the egroup (with about 50 members) of the Philippine Press Club – Ontario, where press releases and other materials for publication are usually sent by members. Since the commentary was described as a “reply” to Rivera’s blog, I understood it to be for public consumption. So I forwarded it to Rivera for a possible reply. He did write a rejoinder which Tiangson replied to. I notified the latter that I would shorten and edit his latest item for brevity and due to space limitations. I did.

As of press time, Rivera has written his latest reply but our issue is almost done. It did not make it for this issue. The reason we’re giving this a lot of space is that the topics are immigration and the Live-In Caregiver Program.

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Following is my welcome remarks delivered at the Leaders’ Gala of the Community Alliance for Social Justice on April 2, 2011 in Toronto attended by more than 260 guests.

Good evening to everyone. Welcome to the first Leaders’ Gala organized by the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ).

What is CASJ? What does it want to achieve? What has it accomplished?

We have the updated CASJ brochures on your tables that chronicle our activities in the past six years.

Those who want a deeper understanding of CASJ, please go to our website where we store our documents and list of activities.

CASJ was born out of the crisis in the Filipino community in May 2004 when a 17-year old boy was shot and killed by a Toronto Police officer. His name was Jeffrey Reodica. He was shot three times in the back on May 21, 2004. He died three days later.

There was anger and outrage in the community. It turned out there were more Jeffreys in the other communities. That’s why a unity was forged not only in the Filipino community but with other communities which experienced the same violence from police officers.

That’s the reason why a huge demonstration was seen on the streets of downtown Toronto in May 2005 that demanded justice for Jeffrey and other victims of police violence. Specifically it demanded for a public inquiry on the killing of Jeffrey which we got in 2006.

CASJ was born to seek justice not only for Jeffrey and other victims of police violence but also for other sectors who suffer social injustice like the caregivers and the unrecognized foreign-trained professionals.

CASJ wants the caregivers to be freed from the major conditions that breed abuse and exploitation in the Live-In Caregive Program: the temporary status of the caregiver, the live-in requirement, and the employer-specific condition. Besides, many of these caregivers are professionals like nurses, teachers, physiotherapists, engineers, accountants, etc.

CASJ wants the removal of the gate-keeping powers of the professional regulatory bodies that impose unfairly stringent requirements on foreign-trained professionals. These are responsible for the deprofessionalization of thousands and thousands of competent and experienced professionals coming from other countries. That’s why it’s commonplace to see highly-qualified doctors working as medical aides changing bedsheets in hospitals, professors driving cabs, editors working as janitors, and writers and journalists working as data entry clerks or pizza and newspaper delivery boys.

Here are a few of the most important achievements of CASJ:

1. The jury recommendations that resulted from the Jeffrey Inquest in 2006 that further resulted in the Toronto Police Services budget of $439,000 for the implementation of these recommendations. Five of the seven recommendations, intended to prevent a similar fatal shooting, were from the CASJ list of recommendations submitted after CASJ’s participation in the 10-week Inquest ordered by the Ontario Åttorney General. A CASJ research study on this topic had become part of the academic literature in Toronto and international circles.

2. The participation of CASJ in the campaign for changes in the Live- In Caregiver Program that resulted in minor changes that could lead to bigger ones. This campaign helped bring to the Canadian mainstream consciousness the abusive conditions under which caregivers work and live.

3. The studies (in partnership with Dr. Philip Kelly) on the deprofessionalization of the Filipino, which attempts to explain that phenomenon. The participation of CASJ in providing input to the efforts of the Ontario government to help internationally-trained professionals practice their professions.
The current study on Filipino youth in transition, in partnership with academicians, which seeks to find out why the young Filipinos continue to get low paying jobs compared to other youths.

What we in CASJ want is to eventually achieve a strong unity in the Filipino community and other ethnic communities so that we can exercise enough political clout to correct the social injustices imposed on us by other interests or sectors either consciously or unwittingly.

We are thankful that Canada has welcomed us in this land. But we want to contribute and share our skills, our energy as new Canadians. We cannot do this if we are forever treated as cheap labor or competition in the professions and forever looked upon as “the others.” We just want equal and fair treatment. We say to the Canadian government and to all Canadians, treat us fairly and with respect and dignity and you can expect the best from us, our best talents, our best minds, our best energy, our absolute loyalty.

We love our Motherland. Give us a chance to love Canada equally as we love our Motherland.

Let us learn from our guest speaker tonight. She is one of us who has successfully joined mainstream politics in her province. She brings with her the heart of an immigrant wanting to serve and give her best to mainstream Canada. Let us emulate her example.

Let us strengthen our bonds as a community and with our allies.

Let us celebrate this occasion and enjoy the rest of the night.

Hermie Garcia
CASJ President
April 2, 2011