by Ethel Tungohan
Three things you need to know about
Canada’s migrant domestic workers:
1. Since
the early 20th
century, Canada has recruited domestic workers from abroad. European
domestic workers automatically received Canadian citizenship. Domestic workers
from other developing countries were only allowed into Canada on temporary work
contracts.
2. Improvements
in migrant domestic workers’ lives occurred because of migrant domestic
workers’ activism. Notably, migrant domestic workers’ activism in the late
1970s led them to qualify for the right to Canadian permanent residency.
3. There
is a wide range of migrant domestic worker organizations in Canada, each with
different mandates and activities. These organizations give migrant domestic
workers important social networks and form an important part of Canada’s
migrant domestic workers’ movement.
Three myths about migrant domestic worker programs:
Myth # 1: Most migrant domestic workers
come to Canada because their family members recruit them.
Reality: Relatives hired only 1
in 10 out of all migrant domestic workers. Employment agencies recruited
the majority.
Myth # 2: Migrant domestic work is “easy.”
Reality: Migrant domestic workers
frequently do
not get paid for all of their working hours. Because they can only apply for Canadian
citizenship after they’ve completed their work contracts, the power their
employers have over them is magnified.
Myth # 3: Transitioning to life in Canada
after the program is seamless.
Reality: Migrant domestic workers report being
discriminated in the Canadian job market because work places generally do
not see domestic work as valid Canadian work experience. Most spend a lot of
money on educational upgrading courses in order to qualify for jobs outside
domestic work. Still, nearly all caregivers see their futures in Canada and are
happy to be here.
Ethel Tungohan is a
Grant Notley Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Political
Science at the University of Alberta.
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