Kenney misleading public on LCP — GATES
Kenney misleading public on LCP — GATES
Photo courtesy of Bayan Canada
Contrary to claims made by Employment Minister Jason Kenney, very few people are using the live-in caregiver program for family reunification.
As detailed in media reports late last month, Jason Kenney claimed that Filipino families are abusing the live-in caregiver program by using it as a backdoor family-reunification program.
However, a new national study funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council shows these claims to be incorrect. The study finds that only one in ten live-in caregivers surveyed was recruited by relatives, a number that has actually been in decline over the past 10 years.
“The reality is that the vast majority of live-in caregivers we surveyed came to Canada through employment agencies,” says Dr. Ethel Tungohan, co-investigator of the Gabriela Transitions Experiences Survey and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Alberta. “There is little credible evidence that backs up Minister Kenney’s claims.”
The national study of live-in caregivers was conducted last year. 61% of those arriving within the last 5 years said they were recruited by employment agencies. 27% were hired directly by non-relatives. Only 11% of recent live-in caregivers said they were hired by relatives, compared to 14% for those who arrived between 5 and 10 years ago.
“Why does any family turn to the live-in caregiver program?” asked Tungohan, “It’s because of an absence of childcare options. “We need to ask real questions about these programs, instead of stoking fears about immigration.”
(GATES Press Release)
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