United Front Calls for Input of Stakeholders in Caregiver Legislation
The Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) and the Canadian Caregivers Association (CCA) have both called for improved standards within the Live-In Caregiver program for years.
TORONTO, ON The Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) and the Canadian Caregivers Association (CCA) have both called for improved standards within the Live-In Caregiver program for years. Now that change is coming, both groups have been alarmed at the absence of consultation. Details about the plans for the future of Bill 160 in Ontario, for example, have been few and far between.
CAPIC and the CCA, today, are calling on the Ontario and Federal governments to consult with stakeholders and the larger community before passing sweeping legislation that will affect all parties. Both organizations are united in calling for higher standards, but fear that limiting the scope of any new laws may not effectively target illegal practice and, furthermore, may even close down the companies that have been practicing responsibly for years.
"The proposed Bill 160, in its current version, does not do enough to protect the foreign caregivers from abusive or negligent employers or exploitative recruiters", said Katarina Onuschak, licensed immigration consultant and a member of CAPIC.
Proposals that the two organizations are calling for include a white list, rather than a black list, so that businesses do not have the option of rebranding or using proxies to escape oversight, as well as a reduction in waiting times at visa offices abroad.
"A two-year delay in Manila can leave caregivers resorting to using agencies that produce fake employers, because genuine employers regularly reject the prospect of waiting 24 months for care they need immediately", commented on the current situation Tristan A. Downe-Dewdney, spokesperson of Canadian Caregiver Association.
Both CAPIC and the CCA are making themselves available to legislators and continue to push for widespread consultation and newer, better solutions to the many problems in the Live-In Caregiver Program.
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Contacts:
Tristan A. Downe-Dewdney
Spokesperson
Canadian Caregivers Association
(416) 628-8388
Katarina Onuschak
Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC)
(416) 383-1856
