MANILA, Philippines—In need of workers from plumbers to carpenters to engineers, the provincial government of Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday morning signed an agreement with the labor department to deploy overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the province.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger signed the agreement at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel which provides a framework of partnership in the recruitment of skilled OFWs to Manitoba, as well as in their protection and their skills development.
"For us, it's an equal partnership. Nobody's better than the other," Selinger said.
Due to its low birth rate and aging population, Manitoba will need around 20,000 new workers annually by 2016, according to Baldoz.
"In the next thee years, the number of retirements is expected to increase by 30 percent and the need for more workers, including the transfer of work-based knowledge, will be very critical to Manitoba's labor force stability," Baldoz said.
"Also, I understand that Manitoba has low birth and unemployment rates and the province looks at annual immigration targets (of) around 20,000 by 2016 to shore up its manpower banks. Current arrivals number only a little half of the yearly target," she added.
Baldoz said that, of the 613,593 Filipinos in Canada as of 2008, around 50,000 to 60,000 were in Manitoba.
"As Secretary Baldoz said, many of our existing labor forces are five to 10 years away from retirement. (This is) the baby boomer generation. (So) this opens up opportunities all across the board—in the trades like carpentry, plumbing, electricians," Selinger said.
"This also opens up opportunities in the professions—engineers, accountants, medical professionals, nurses and doctors. We believe we'll have opportunities all across the labor spectrum in Manitoba," he added.
Selinger said skilled OFWs in Manitoba could opt for Candian citizenship six months after their arrival there. - Philip Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 21, 2010
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
Canada law named after Filipina caregiver
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) Canada is set to adopt a law nicknamed after Juana Tejada, a Filipina caregiver who had fought hard to improve the situation of fellow foreign live-in caregivers, it was learned Thursday.
In the website of Canada’s Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism, Minister Jason Kenney on Saturday announced proposed regulations to better protect the rights of live in caregivers and to make it easier for them and their families to obtain permanent residence in Canada.
According to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Toronto, of the 400,000 Filipinos in Canada, about 66 percent (or 264,000) are caregivers. And by the end of 2008, a total of 1,821 new hires were deployed to Canada as caregivers.
“Our government fully supports the ‘Juana Tejada Law.’ We propose to implement this change in her honor, to ensure that no one else has to endure this same painful experience,” said Kenney after extensive consultations with caregiver groups from across the country, as well as heartfelt testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
The first proposed change to the Live-in Caregiver Program eliminates the requirement for live-in caregivers to undergo a second medical examination when applying to become permanent residents, a change advocated by the late Juana Tejada.
Tejada developed cancer while working as a live-in caregiver. She was initially denied permanent resident status when she did not pass her second medical examination.
It was only through special ministerial intervention that she gained status in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
According to Jonathan Canchela of Migrante-Ontario, the announcement is a great honor for Tejada and organizations like the Independent Workers’ Association which worked for improved working conditions for live-in foreign caregivers.
”It was Juana Tejada who exposed this ambiguity in the immigration system. She risked her status and fought the threat of deportation so that other caregivers like her could have better protection of their rights. It was she who, with the help of her lawyer Raffy Fabregas and numerous advocates and activists and the community in general, pushed the immigration officials to act in the right direction,” he said.
“If there is someone to be called ‘champion and hero’ for the gains caregivers just won, it was Juana Tejada. She is, in this sense, a true ‘champion and hero’ of the Filipino people in Canada,” he added.
More changes
Another proposed change will allow live-in caregivers who work overtime to apply for permanent residence sooner. Currently, live-in caregivers must work for two years within the first three years of entry into the program before they can apply for permanent residence in Canada.
Unfortunately, events such as pregnancies or loss of employment have resulted in some live-in caregivers not meeting the two-year requirement.
Under the new measure, live-in caregivers would be eligible to apply for permanent residence after 3,900 work hours, the equivalent of working a standard work week for two years.
Also, a portion of their overtime hours could count toward the work requirement and enable caregivers to apply for permanent residence sooner. Equally important, these changes would also increase the time that live-in caregivers are allowed to complete the work requirement from three to four years.
“These important changes help fulfill Canada’s duty to those who care for our young, our disabled and our elderly,” Kenney said. “The government of Canada is taking action to protect foreign workers from potential abuse and exploitation.”
Additional administrative changes to the program will also require employers of live-in caregivers to pay for:
* travel costs for live-in caregivers to come to Canada;
* medical insurance until live-in caregivers become eligible for provincial health coverage; and
* workplace safety insurance and any recruiting fees owed to third parties.
Employment contracts will have to spell out these employer-paid benefits. They will also have to include clauses clearly outlining job duties, hours of work, overtime and holidays, sick leave, and termination and resignation terms.
According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), it will work closely with caregiver groups to improve information packages that live-in caregivers receive before they leave for Canada. CIC will also set up a dedicated live-in caregiver hotline.
Emergency processing of work permits and new authorization requests from employers to hire a live-in caregiver will help caregivers when they need to change employers urgently. Live-in caregivers will continue to be able to apply for study permits when they want to take courses longer than six months; they do not need study permits for shorter courses.
Stronger against erring employers
The announcement builds on recently proposed regulatory changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers found to have provided significantly different wages, working conditions, or occupations than they promised may be put on a blacklist making them ineligible to hire a live-in caregiver for two years under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers on this blacklist could be identified on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website in order to inform prospective and current temporary foreign workers of ineligible employers.
The Live-in Caregiver Program helps Canadians recruit caregivers to live and work in the homes of those they care for in order to provide child care or support for seniors or people with disabilities. The program facilitates the entry of qualified caregivers into Canada when there is a shortage of Canadians or permanent residents to fill available live-in caregiver positions. Because of Canada’s ageing population, the program is expected to grow in the years ahead. In 2008, Canada admitted 12,878 live-in caregivers.
The proposed changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program will be published in the Canada Gazette on December 19 for a 30-day comment period open to all Canadians. Final regulatory changes will be published after this period.
Kenney’s announcement came a few days after the Ontario Parliament passed Bill 210 into law. The new Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act bans employment agencies or recruiters from charging live-in caregivers placement or recruitment fees. It also prohibits the practice of taking a caregiver's personal documents such as a passport or work permit.
”These initiatives—both federal and provincial—bring significant changes to the Live-in Caregivers Program. We say this is a victory for all caregivers and the community. Still let us not forget that implementation of these new measures requires our vigilant monitoring,” said Migrante-Ontario’s Canchela.
At the same time, he said efforts towards making further changes continue. These include making the live-in requirement optional, issuing job-specific instead of employer-specific work-permits, looking into acceptable wage rates, ensuring the safety and well-being of caregivers for the duration of their stay in the employers’ home, among other things. - INQUIRER.net, December 17, 2009
In the website of Canada’s Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism, Minister Jason Kenney on Saturday announced proposed regulations to better protect the rights of live in caregivers and to make it easier for them and their families to obtain permanent residence in Canada.
According to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Toronto, of the 400,000 Filipinos in Canada, about 66 percent (or 264,000) are caregivers. And by the end of 2008, a total of 1,821 new hires were deployed to Canada as caregivers.
“Our government fully supports the ‘Juana Tejada Law.’ We propose to implement this change in her honor, to ensure that no one else has to endure this same painful experience,” said Kenney after extensive consultations with caregiver groups from across the country, as well as heartfelt testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
The first proposed change to the Live-in Caregiver Program eliminates the requirement for live-in caregivers to undergo a second medical examination when applying to become permanent residents, a change advocated by the late Juana Tejada.
Tejada developed cancer while working as a live-in caregiver. She was initially denied permanent resident status when she did not pass her second medical examination.
It was only through special ministerial intervention that she gained status in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
According to Jonathan Canchela of Migrante-Ontario, the announcement is a great honor for Tejada and organizations like the Independent Workers’ Association which worked for improved working conditions for live-in foreign caregivers.
”It was Juana Tejada who exposed this ambiguity in the immigration system. She risked her status and fought the threat of deportation so that other caregivers like her could have better protection of their rights. It was she who, with the help of her lawyer Raffy Fabregas and numerous advocates and activists and the community in general, pushed the immigration officials to act in the right direction,” he said.
“If there is someone to be called ‘champion and hero’ for the gains caregivers just won, it was Juana Tejada. She is, in this sense, a true ‘champion and hero’ of the Filipino people in Canada,” he added.
More changes
Another proposed change will allow live-in caregivers who work overtime to apply for permanent residence sooner. Currently, live-in caregivers must work for two years within the first three years of entry into the program before they can apply for permanent residence in Canada.
Unfortunately, events such as pregnancies or loss of employment have resulted in some live-in caregivers not meeting the two-year requirement.
Under the new measure, live-in caregivers would be eligible to apply for permanent residence after 3,900 work hours, the equivalent of working a standard work week for two years.
Also, a portion of their overtime hours could count toward the work requirement and enable caregivers to apply for permanent residence sooner. Equally important, these changes would also increase the time that live-in caregivers are allowed to complete the work requirement from three to four years.
“These important changes help fulfill Canada’s duty to those who care for our young, our disabled and our elderly,” Kenney said. “The government of Canada is taking action to protect foreign workers from potential abuse and exploitation.”
Additional administrative changes to the program will also require employers of live-in caregivers to pay for:
* travel costs for live-in caregivers to come to Canada;
* medical insurance until live-in caregivers become eligible for provincial health coverage; and
* workplace safety insurance and any recruiting fees owed to third parties.
Employment contracts will have to spell out these employer-paid benefits. They will also have to include clauses clearly outlining job duties, hours of work, overtime and holidays, sick leave, and termination and resignation terms.
According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), it will work closely with caregiver groups to improve information packages that live-in caregivers receive before they leave for Canada. CIC will also set up a dedicated live-in caregiver hotline.
Emergency processing of work permits and new authorization requests from employers to hire a live-in caregiver will help caregivers when they need to change employers urgently. Live-in caregivers will continue to be able to apply for study permits when they want to take courses longer than six months; they do not need study permits for shorter courses.
Stronger against erring employers
The announcement builds on recently proposed regulatory changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers found to have provided significantly different wages, working conditions, or occupations than they promised may be put on a blacklist making them ineligible to hire a live-in caregiver for two years under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers on this blacklist could be identified on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website in order to inform prospective and current temporary foreign workers of ineligible employers.
The Live-in Caregiver Program helps Canadians recruit caregivers to live and work in the homes of those they care for in order to provide child care or support for seniors or people with disabilities. The program facilitates the entry of qualified caregivers into Canada when there is a shortage of Canadians or permanent residents to fill available live-in caregiver positions. Because of Canada’s ageing population, the program is expected to grow in the years ahead. In 2008, Canada admitted 12,878 live-in caregivers.
The proposed changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program will be published in the Canada Gazette on December 19 for a 30-day comment period open to all Canadians. Final regulatory changes will be published after this period.
Kenney’s announcement came a few days after the Ontario Parliament passed Bill 210 into law. The new Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act bans employment agencies or recruiters from charging live-in caregivers placement or recruitment fees. It also prohibits the practice of taking a caregiver's personal documents such as a passport or work permit.
”These initiatives—both federal and provincial—bring significant changes to the Live-in Caregivers Program. We say this is a victory for all caregivers and the community. Still let us not forget that implementation of these new measures requires our vigilant monitoring,” said Migrante-Ontario’s Canchela.
At the same time, he said efforts towards making further changes continue. These include making the live-in requirement optional, issuing job-specific instead of employer-specific work-permits, looking into acceptable wage rates, ensuring the safety and well-being of caregivers for the duration of their stay in the employers’ home, among other things. - INQUIRER.net, December 17, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Learned Fil-Can community gathers for landmark symposium
Friday October 23, 2009 was a watershed day for Filipino-Canadian research. The near capacity crowd of Filipinos and others participated in the National Symposium at the University of Toronto called “Spectres of In/Visibility: Filipina/o Lives in Canada.”
The daylong conference was the first of its kind in terms of the scope of issues discussed and the academic representation. The three panels covered “Gender, Migration, and Citizenship,” “Representation and Its Discontent,” and “Youth Spaces and Subjectivities.”
The speakers were predominantly Filipina/o professors or PhD candidates. Established academics, the next generation of academe, and community members presented papers, photos, a short film, artwork, and spoken word to the predominantly Filipina/o audience of around 150 people throughout the day.
The Symposium fittingly began and ended with one of its initiators, Prof. Roland Sintos Coloma, of the University of Toronto (U of T). The conference’s origin is as a dream of a group called Kritical Kolectibo, started by him and Prof. Bonnie McElhinny, also of the U of T. The group’s main objective is to develop the field of Filipino studies.
Kim Abis and Catherine M. Febria were thanked as the main student facilitators. Prof. Sintos Coloma then emphasized community participation stating academia is only relevant if it is joined with the community. Indeed, nearly all of the thankful audience members who spoke or asked questions identified themselves as members of some kind of community group. A delicious Filipino lunch and merienda was cooked and served by volunteers from the Philippine Women Centre of Ontario (PWC).
The importance of story telling was repeated several times at “Spectres of In/Visibility.” Telling one’s story was cited as one of the ways Filipinos can move away from the spectre of invisibility to substantial visibility. With this in mind, the full array of voices that spoke at the Symposium is represented in this article.
Keynote speaker, Prof. Eleanor Ty of Wilfred Laurier University (Laurier), discussed the preconceptions or stereotypes that come into play when you recognize someone as Filipino. Instead of the servile persona, she declared, Filipinos need to highlight and celebrate their successes, for example in leadership, academia, and activism.
In the first panel, Valerie Damasco, discussed her research into the recorded influx of Filipino immigrants to Canada in the 1960s and the policies involved. Lisa Davidson discussed how the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) is sometimes used as a means for family reunification. She also described the blurring of the distinctions between a domestic helper (a.k.a. yaya) and a domestic worker.
Ethel Tungohan called for LCP workers to act as full political agents. Liwliwa Rose Ann Torres spoke of working at a centre helping women escape oppression. But being overworked and under-paid herself, she came to realize she was one of those women. The discussant, Prof. Leonora C. Angeles of the University of British Columbia (UBC), addressed each of the papers. She also spoke to the title of the Symposium, stating Filipinos are invisible as professionals, but are visible in domestic-like roles in the service sector, and this needs to change.
The moderator for the second panel, called “Representation and Its Discontent,” was Celia Correa, whose social-realist artworks depicting the plight of migrants were on display. The “human zoo setting” of the around 1200 Filipinos living on a reserve on display at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis was chronicled by Prof. McElhinny. She stressed the juxtaposition of ‘civilization’ and ‘savagery’ implicit in the display. The current exhibition at the ROM displaying artifacts from this Fair was criticized for not moving past primitivism also.
Photos of Jo SiMalaya Alcampo and her friends were accompanied by the good-humored telling of her advocacy efforts on lesbian, Filipino-Canadian identity. Librarian, Vernon R. Totanes, publicized his research on the Toronto Public Library’s stock of materials in the “under-represented” Tagalog section.
He showed how collections might not always be strategically placed, for example the small collection at the branch near St. Jamestown.
Prof. Sintos Coloma criticized the lack of representation of the racism experienced by Asian Canadians in textbooks. He refuted the multicultural ideals cited in the textbooks, and contended the absence of Filipinos in Canadian narratives represents a failure of those ideals.
The panel ended with a short film named after a controversial stance and slogan advocated by some, including the PWC. Scrap the LCP: The Struggle Filipino’s Women’s Liberation in Canada caused a heated debate on the issue. The slogan was criticized and defended, and a call to hear the voices of LCP workers who do not want the entire program removed, rather extensively revised, was raised. The need for drastic changes to the LCP, including landed status for caregivers, was a common call.
The youth of the Filipino-Canadian community were the speakers and theme of the third panel. John Paul C. Catungal examined the societal implications in the high profile, violent deaths of Filipino youth, Mao Jomar Lanot, Jeffrey Reodica, Deeward Ponte, and Charle Dalde. Christine Balmes presented the Balikbayan Renaissance, a term coined in 2003 by a member of the Kapisanan Centre in Toronto, Carmen Leilani de Jesus. The term refers to the recent resurgence of Filipino youth of the Diaspora interested in their cultural roots and the creative ways they are expressing their heritage. Maureen Mendoza recounted her case study on the Filipino student experience at the UBC.
Conely de Leon performed a spoken word piece on the Filipino associations to light and dark skin and was mirrored by a live painting of white words on a black canvas performed alongside her. She followed with highlights from her study surveying youths’ perceived differences between Mississauga and Scarborough peers.
Prof. Jeffrey Aguinaldo of Laurier was the last speaker and acted as a Discussant. He warned, “The language that we use to describe ourselves has costs and benefits… What we do to other Filipinos, we do to ourselves.” Jean Marc Daga ended the night with a spoken word piece. Participants were invited to dinner and drinks at the Duke of York.
This writer points again to the importance of story telling, but another reason all the official speakers are named in this article is because of my story. As a graduate With Distinction from the U of T, with degrees in English and Political Science, I have been captivated by Post-Modern and Post-Colonial Theory before. But it was not until last Friday that I was privileged to hear so many ideas expressed in the context of these theories, with respect to Filipinos and the Filipino Diaspora.
This article may be a lengthy roll call of the Symposium’s speakers, but it captures only mere glimpses to the wealth of ideas shared that day. Like other participants, this writer favors diversity, multiplicity, and more sharing of our accomplishments! - Dyan Ruiz, The Philippine Reporter (www.philippinereporter.com), October 30, 2009
The daylong conference was the first of its kind in terms of the scope of issues discussed and the academic representation. The three panels covered “Gender, Migration, and Citizenship,” “Representation and Its Discontent,” and “Youth Spaces and Subjectivities.”
The speakers were predominantly Filipina/o professors or PhD candidates. Established academics, the next generation of academe, and community members presented papers, photos, a short film, artwork, and spoken word to the predominantly Filipina/o audience of around 150 people throughout the day.
The Symposium fittingly began and ended with one of its initiators, Prof. Roland Sintos Coloma, of the University of Toronto (U of T). The conference’s origin is as a dream of a group called Kritical Kolectibo, started by him and Prof. Bonnie McElhinny, also of the U of T. The group’s main objective is to develop the field of Filipino studies.
Kim Abis and Catherine M. Febria were thanked as the main student facilitators. Prof. Sintos Coloma then emphasized community participation stating academia is only relevant if it is joined with the community. Indeed, nearly all of the thankful audience members who spoke or asked questions identified themselves as members of some kind of community group. A delicious Filipino lunch and merienda was cooked and served by volunteers from the Philippine Women Centre of Ontario (PWC).
The importance of story telling was repeated several times at “Spectres of In/Visibility.” Telling one’s story was cited as one of the ways Filipinos can move away from the spectre of invisibility to substantial visibility. With this in mind, the full array of voices that spoke at the Symposium is represented in this article.
Keynote speaker, Prof. Eleanor Ty of Wilfred Laurier University (Laurier), discussed the preconceptions or stereotypes that come into play when you recognize someone as Filipino. Instead of the servile persona, she declared, Filipinos need to highlight and celebrate their successes, for example in leadership, academia, and activism.
In the first panel, Valerie Damasco, discussed her research into the recorded influx of Filipino immigrants to Canada in the 1960s and the policies involved. Lisa Davidson discussed how the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) is sometimes used as a means for family reunification. She also described the blurring of the distinctions between a domestic helper (a.k.a. yaya) and a domestic worker.
Ethel Tungohan called for LCP workers to act as full political agents. Liwliwa Rose Ann Torres spoke of working at a centre helping women escape oppression. But being overworked and under-paid herself, she came to realize she was one of those women. The discussant, Prof. Leonora C. Angeles of the University of British Columbia (UBC), addressed each of the papers. She also spoke to the title of the Symposium, stating Filipinos are invisible as professionals, but are visible in domestic-like roles in the service sector, and this needs to change.
The moderator for the second panel, called “Representation and Its Discontent,” was Celia Correa, whose social-realist artworks depicting the plight of migrants were on display. The “human zoo setting” of the around 1200 Filipinos living on a reserve on display at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis was chronicled by Prof. McElhinny. She stressed the juxtaposition of ‘civilization’ and ‘savagery’ implicit in the display. The current exhibition at the ROM displaying artifacts from this Fair was criticized for not moving past primitivism also.
Photos of Jo SiMalaya Alcampo and her friends were accompanied by the good-humored telling of her advocacy efforts on lesbian, Filipino-Canadian identity. Librarian, Vernon R. Totanes, publicized his research on the Toronto Public Library’s stock of materials in the “under-represented” Tagalog section.
He showed how collections might not always be strategically placed, for example the small collection at the branch near St. Jamestown.
Prof. Sintos Coloma criticized the lack of representation of the racism experienced by Asian Canadians in textbooks. He refuted the multicultural ideals cited in the textbooks, and contended the absence of Filipinos in Canadian narratives represents a failure of those ideals.
The panel ended with a short film named after a controversial stance and slogan advocated by some, including the PWC. Scrap the LCP: The Struggle Filipino’s Women’s Liberation in Canada caused a heated debate on the issue. The slogan was criticized and defended, and a call to hear the voices of LCP workers who do not want the entire program removed, rather extensively revised, was raised. The need for drastic changes to the LCP, including landed status for caregivers, was a common call.
The youth of the Filipino-Canadian community were the speakers and theme of the third panel. John Paul C. Catungal examined the societal implications in the high profile, violent deaths of Filipino youth, Mao Jomar Lanot, Jeffrey Reodica, Deeward Ponte, and Charle Dalde. Christine Balmes presented the Balikbayan Renaissance, a term coined in 2003 by a member of the Kapisanan Centre in Toronto, Carmen Leilani de Jesus. The term refers to the recent resurgence of Filipino youth of the Diaspora interested in their cultural roots and the creative ways they are expressing their heritage. Maureen Mendoza recounted her case study on the Filipino student experience at the UBC.
Conely de Leon performed a spoken word piece on the Filipino associations to light and dark skin and was mirrored by a live painting of white words on a black canvas performed alongside her. She followed with highlights from her study surveying youths’ perceived differences between Mississauga and Scarborough peers.
Prof. Jeffrey Aguinaldo of Laurier was the last speaker and acted as a Discussant. He warned, “The language that we use to describe ourselves has costs and benefits… What we do to other Filipinos, we do to ourselves.” Jean Marc Daga ended the night with a spoken word piece. Participants were invited to dinner and drinks at the Duke of York.
This writer points again to the importance of story telling, but another reason all the official speakers are named in this article is because of my story. As a graduate With Distinction from the U of T, with degrees in English and Political Science, I have been captivated by Post-Modern and Post-Colonial Theory before. But it was not until last Friday that I was privileged to hear so many ideas expressed in the context of these theories, with respect to Filipinos and the Filipino Diaspora.
This article may be a lengthy roll call of the Symposium’s speakers, but it captures only mere glimpses to the wealth of ideas shared that day. Like other participants, this writer favors diversity, multiplicity, and more sharing of our accomplishments! - Dyan Ruiz, The Philippine Reporter (www.philippinereporter.com), October 30, 2009
‘Deprofessionalized Filipino’
TORONTO – Four main factors explain why Filipino immigrants get low-paying jobs in Toronto. These are their financial circumstances; the immigration programs used; the arbitrariness and unfairness of the credentialization process; cultural stereotyping, racism and discrimination.
These were the findings of the research, “Explaining the Deprofessionalized Filipino: Why Filipino Immigrants Get Low-Paying Jobs in Toronto,” by Dr. Philip F. Kelly, Mila Astorga-Garcia, and Enrico F. Esguerra.
These findings, along with recommendations, were presented at the study’s launch and seminar held Thursday, Oct. 29 at the OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) Auditorium to an audience of more than 180 people.
The study, published by CERIS (Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement)-The Ontario Metropolis, is a research project collaboration between Dr. Philip Kelly of York University, and the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ) — a coalition established five years ago with 27 founding organizations and over a hundred individuals.
“Given the class structure of Philippine society, the class origins of most Filipino immigrants, and the place of the Philippines in the global economic order, Filipinos generally arrive in Canada without significant financial assets, and this situation affects their integraiton into the labour market” says the study.
“In most cases, they need a “survival job” and cannot afford educational upgrading,” especially if they have to feed their families, the study adds.
The second major factor pertains to the use of certain immigration programs that tends to push them further from practicing the professions they have been trained for. It cites that around 20 percent of Filipino immigrants arrived through the live-in-caregiver program, and another 41 percent through family reunification.
This means that a large portion of immigrants have been separated from their immediate families for a significant period of time, and thus have to send money back home to their families, exacerbating their already difficult financial situation. Also those coming in through the caregiver program are restricted from pursuing further education and training in their field, so that even after they “graduate” from the program, they find work in caregiving and other low-paying precarious jobs, the study explains.
The third major factor has to do with the arbitrary way people’s educational credentials and training are assessed by professional regulatory boards that often pose as barriers toward access to professions. Specifically these regulatory boards seemed to be incapable of providing a fair assessment due to their seeming lack of knowledge about the quality of colleges and universities in the Philippines as well as the rigorous requirements toward professional certification.
The fourth factor is the stereotying of Filipinos in Canadian workplaces, as some of their virtuous inclinations for conscientious hard work and deference to managerial hierarchies are interpreted as un-managerial. Such stereotyping is considered a type of racialization and discrimination of Filipinos in the workplace, says the study.
The study’s findings were based on a survey and a series of focus groups and interviews. It also used quantitative information from Statistics Canada’s 2006 census data, as well as immigration data.
Over 1,100 survey questionnaires were distributed widely in the community, and 421 were completed, indicating a high degree of interest on the deprofessionalization issue by members of the Filipino community.
The study came up with policy recommendations to deal with the major factors responsible for deprofessionalizing Filipinos that includes regulating immigration fees to make them commensurate with income levels in sending countries so as not to place immigrants in dire financial circumstances and heavily burdened with debt; granting landed status upon arrival for those coming under the Live-in Caregive Program, and allowing them to enroll in upgrading educational and training courses in their field; Filipino professionals should be allowed to practice in Canada immediately. Should there be a need for skills upgrading, financial assistance should be provided to subsidize upgrading and bridging programs.
The study also touched on the reason why immigrants from the Philippines keep on leaving their homeland, even as majority of them end up in low-paying jobs. The difficult economic and political circumstances –made even worse by corruption and the curtailment of civil liberties — and the colonial mentality resulting from the long colonial history of the country were considered push factors for Filipinos to seek greener pastures in the West. Along with these push factors, however, the study noted as well that “the Philippine government has been actively encouraging the export of human labour through a variety of institutional structures” resulting in an increasing number of temporary overseas contract workers leaving the Philippines every year. The Philippine government benefits immensely from the remittances of these workers.
Even this early, the study has been hailed in academic and other sectors as groundbreaking and valuable on the subject of deprofessionalization, which used to be dismissed merely as anecdotal occurrences.
“Finally, we have a solid piece of analytical research backed by both quantitative and qualitative data that links deprofessionalization to the complexities of the distinctive avenues of immigration programs used by Filipino professionals to enter Canada, the Philippine class structure and class origins of such professionals in Philippine society, the process of social networking-based job searching, the problems related to credential assessment and professional regulatory bodies’ gate-keeping functions, and the cultural stereotyping of Filipinos. This study…has brought the debate on Filipino immigration and labor market integration in Canada to new levels,” says Dr. Leonora Angeles, Associate Professor of Community and Regional Planning and Women’s and Gender Studies, University of British Columbia.
From Aurora Javate De Dios, Executive Director of Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) of Mriram College, the Gender Adviser of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), and the President of Board of Trustees of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia-Pacific (CATWAP).
“For all of us studying migration (this) work will be very valuable . We sometimes call this phenomenon deskilling, but deprofessionalization is much more accurate if this becomes a permanent and lifetime situation. Hope to get a copy soon.”
From Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, Philippine cultural manager, policy maker and book author: “Hoping to get copies of the book for our local academics who study migration. Congrats for what is surely a worthwhile study.” - The Philippine Reporter (www.philippinereporter.com), October 30, 2009
These were the findings of the research, “Explaining the Deprofessionalized Filipino: Why Filipino Immigrants Get Low-Paying Jobs in Toronto,” by Dr. Philip F. Kelly, Mila Astorga-Garcia, and Enrico F. Esguerra.
These findings, along with recommendations, were presented at the study’s launch and seminar held Thursday, Oct. 29 at the OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) Auditorium to an audience of more than 180 people.
The study, published by CERIS (Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement)-The Ontario Metropolis, is a research project collaboration between Dr. Philip Kelly of York University, and the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ) — a coalition established five years ago with 27 founding organizations and over a hundred individuals.
“Given the class structure of Philippine society, the class origins of most Filipino immigrants, and the place of the Philippines in the global economic order, Filipinos generally arrive in Canada without significant financial assets, and this situation affects their integraiton into the labour market” says the study.
“In most cases, they need a “survival job” and cannot afford educational upgrading,” especially if they have to feed their families, the study adds.
The second major factor pertains to the use of certain immigration programs that tends to push them further from practicing the professions they have been trained for. It cites that around 20 percent of Filipino immigrants arrived through the live-in-caregiver program, and another 41 percent through family reunification.
This means that a large portion of immigrants have been separated from their immediate families for a significant period of time, and thus have to send money back home to their families, exacerbating their already difficult financial situation. Also those coming in through the caregiver program are restricted from pursuing further education and training in their field, so that even after they “graduate” from the program, they find work in caregiving and other low-paying precarious jobs, the study explains.
The third major factor has to do with the arbitrary way people’s educational credentials and training are assessed by professional regulatory boards that often pose as barriers toward access to professions. Specifically these regulatory boards seemed to be incapable of providing a fair assessment due to their seeming lack of knowledge about the quality of colleges and universities in the Philippines as well as the rigorous requirements toward professional certification.
The fourth factor is the stereotying of Filipinos in Canadian workplaces, as some of their virtuous inclinations for conscientious hard work and deference to managerial hierarchies are interpreted as un-managerial. Such stereotyping is considered a type of racialization and discrimination of Filipinos in the workplace, says the study.
The study’s findings were based on a survey and a series of focus groups and interviews. It also used quantitative information from Statistics Canada’s 2006 census data, as well as immigration data.
Over 1,100 survey questionnaires were distributed widely in the community, and 421 were completed, indicating a high degree of interest on the deprofessionalization issue by members of the Filipino community.
The study came up with policy recommendations to deal with the major factors responsible for deprofessionalizing Filipinos that includes regulating immigration fees to make them commensurate with income levels in sending countries so as not to place immigrants in dire financial circumstances and heavily burdened with debt; granting landed status upon arrival for those coming under the Live-in Caregive Program, and allowing them to enroll in upgrading educational and training courses in their field; Filipino professionals should be allowed to practice in Canada immediately. Should there be a need for skills upgrading, financial assistance should be provided to subsidize upgrading and bridging programs.
The study also touched on the reason why immigrants from the Philippines keep on leaving their homeland, even as majority of them end up in low-paying jobs. The difficult economic and political circumstances –made even worse by corruption and the curtailment of civil liberties — and the colonial mentality resulting from the long colonial history of the country were considered push factors for Filipinos to seek greener pastures in the West. Along with these push factors, however, the study noted as well that “the Philippine government has been actively encouraging the export of human labour through a variety of institutional structures” resulting in an increasing number of temporary overseas contract workers leaving the Philippines every year. The Philippine government benefits immensely from the remittances of these workers.
Even this early, the study has been hailed in academic and other sectors as groundbreaking and valuable on the subject of deprofessionalization, which used to be dismissed merely as anecdotal occurrences.
“Finally, we have a solid piece of analytical research backed by both quantitative and qualitative data that links deprofessionalization to the complexities of the distinctive avenues of immigration programs used by Filipino professionals to enter Canada, the Philippine class structure and class origins of such professionals in Philippine society, the process of social networking-based job searching, the problems related to credential assessment and professional regulatory bodies’ gate-keeping functions, and the cultural stereotyping of Filipinos. This study…has brought the debate on Filipino immigration and labor market integration in Canada to new levels,” says Dr. Leonora Angeles, Associate Professor of Community and Regional Planning and Women’s and Gender Studies, University of British Columbia.
From Aurora Javate De Dios, Executive Director of Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) of Mriram College, the Gender Adviser of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), and the President of Board of Trustees of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia-Pacific (CATWAP).
“For all of us studying migration (this) work will be very valuable . We sometimes call this phenomenon deskilling, but deprofessionalization is much more accurate if this becomes a permanent and lifetime situation. Hope to get a copy soon.”
From Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, Philippine cultural manager, policy maker and book author: “Hoping to get copies of the book for our local academics who study migration. Congrats for what is surely a worthwhile study.” - The Philippine Reporter (www.philippinereporter.com), October 30, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
‘No cutback in demand for RP workers’
LABOR CHIEF SAYS
By TJ Burgonio, Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Alcuin Papa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 08:53:00 10/15/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Despite the gloomy forecasts, Filipinos should not fret about job losses or possible cutbacks in opportunities in the United States, the Middle East and elsewhere, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said Tuesday.
Roque said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had not received any reports from its 37 labor officers posted abroad about cutbacks in the demand for Filipino workers in the face of the global economic crunch.
“So the situation remains stable and we do not expect any reduction in the demand for overseas Filipinos especially in the Middle East,” he said at a press briefing.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International had warned that the number of jobs in the badly hit construction industry in the United States could further shrink, increasing the number of undocumented Filipinos there.
It said it had monitored some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had flown back to Manila after losing their jobs, adding that their “families will have a sad Christmas.”
Over the years, OFWs have managed to keep the economy afloat, sending home some $14.4 billion last year, nearly a tenth of the gross domestic product.
Roque said it was inaccurate to assume that the OFWs coming home were laid off as a result of the global economic slowdown.
“This is the normal trend after their contracts have been terminated,” he said.
Jobs in Canada, Australia, Europe
Contrary to fears of a contracting job market abroad, there are many jobs awaiting Filipinos in Canada, Australia and European countries, Roque said.
“We have signed up with four provinces in Canada,” he said. “The pay rates are relatively higher compared with what the Filipinos are enjoying in other countries.”
Another DOLE team is leaving for Australia to start negotiations on the possible employment of Filipinos there, Roque said.
“When the option comes for Filipinos to go overseas, and entertain a job offer from Australia, we have ample potential mechanisms that are already in place,” he said.
Both Canada and Australia are offering jobs for nurses, IT personnel, truckers and hotel workers, among others, Roque said.
Worst-case scenario
“We are also looking at France, Norway and New Zealand as new markets that would be needing the services of Filipinos,” he said.
Roque said that the DOLE had drawn up a contingency plan for overseas workers in case the United States slides into a recession.
“We have assumed the worst-case scenario; and we are prepared for it. We have the mechanics to assist our workers and we will provide them with the necessary assistance,” he said, but declined to go into specific details.
Hurricane Ike
In some parts of the United States, the aftermath of nature’s wrath is cushioning the impact of the global financial crisis on Filipino construction workers.
Some labor groups fear that the economic slump would hurt the construction business in the United States, which employs many Filipino workers.
But 50-year-old Jerry, a private contractor in Texas, said the construction business is booming now in states recently pummeled by Hurricane “Ike.”
“The business is booming now because of the damage brought by “Ike.” Many homes and buildings have to be repaired,” Jerry told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.
Hurricane Ike hit Texas and nearby states in early September, shutting down oil production in the area as well as damaging residential areas.
But Jerry acknowledged that a few of his friends from other states, like New Jersey and California, had already lost their jobs.
He also said that prices of basic commodities had gone up.
International labor groups with Filipino members said the other day that the financial slump was also threatening the jobs of more than eight million Filipinos overseas.
They said those in the service sector, like construction workers and nurses, are the most vulnerable. If they lose jobs, they are likely to stay as undocumented migrants instead of coming home, since no work awaits them in the Philippines, said the Building and Wood Workers’ International
Overseas Filipino workers are also likely to reduce the amount of their remittances this holiday season, the group also said.
Filipinos in the United States are not giving up hope, however. “There are many jobs here that the Americans do not want to take. So we are optimistic we can survive the crisis,” Jerry said.
Second or third jobs
Aside from the looming threat of losing their jobs, Filipino domestic helpers will have to learn to cope with cuts in their salaries due to the global financial crisis.
Connie Bragas-Regalado, chair of Migrante International, said Filipino maids would have to cope with the crisis by taking on other jobs, borrowing money or participating in the underground economies in their respective countries.
“To ensure that they can send money home, they will have to find ways to cope. Our maids will have to look for a second or even a third job or sell goods in the underground economy,” Regalado said.
By TJ Burgonio, Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Alcuin Papa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 08:53:00 10/15/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Despite the gloomy forecasts, Filipinos should not fret about job losses or possible cutbacks in opportunities in the United States, the Middle East and elsewhere, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said Tuesday.
Roque said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had not received any reports from its 37 labor officers posted abroad about cutbacks in the demand for Filipino workers in the face of the global economic crunch.
“So the situation remains stable and we do not expect any reduction in the demand for overseas Filipinos especially in the Middle East,” he said at a press briefing.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International had warned that the number of jobs in the badly hit construction industry in the United States could further shrink, increasing the number of undocumented Filipinos there.
It said it had monitored some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had flown back to Manila after losing their jobs, adding that their “families will have a sad Christmas.”
Over the years, OFWs have managed to keep the economy afloat, sending home some $14.4 billion last year, nearly a tenth of the gross domestic product.
Roque said it was inaccurate to assume that the OFWs coming home were laid off as a result of the global economic slowdown.
“This is the normal trend after their contracts have been terminated,” he said.
Jobs in Canada, Australia, Europe
Contrary to fears of a contracting job market abroad, there are many jobs awaiting Filipinos in Canada, Australia and European countries, Roque said.
“We have signed up with four provinces in Canada,” he said. “The pay rates are relatively higher compared with what the Filipinos are enjoying in other countries.”
Another DOLE team is leaving for Australia to start negotiations on the possible employment of Filipinos there, Roque said.
“When the option comes for Filipinos to go overseas, and entertain a job offer from Australia, we have ample potential mechanisms that are already in place,” he said.
Both Canada and Australia are offering jobs for nurses, IT personnel, truckers and hotel workers, among others, Roque said.
Worst-case scenario
“We are also looking at France, Norway and New Zealand as new markets that would be needing the services of Filipinos,” he said.
Roque said that the DOLE had drawn up a contingency plan for overseas workers in case the United States slides into a recession.
“We have assumed the worst-case scenario; and we are prepared for it. We have the mechanics to assist our workers and we will provide them with the necessary assistance,” he said, but declined to go into specific details.
Hurricane Ike
In some parts of the United States, the aftermath of nature’s wrath is cushioning the impact of the global financial crisis on Filipino construction workers.
Some labor groups fear that the economic slump would hurt the construction business in the United States, which employs many Filipino workers.
But 50-year-old Jerry, a private contractor in Texas, said the construction business is booming now in states recently pummeled by Hurricane “Ike.”
“The business is booming now because of the damage brought by “Ike.” Many homes and buildings have to be repaired,” Jerry told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.
Hurricane Ike hit Texas and nearby states in early September, shutting down oil production in the area as well as damaging residential areas.
But Jerry acknowledged that a few of his friends from other states, like New Jersey and California, had already lost their jobs.
He also said that prices of basic commodities had gone up.
International labor groups with Filipino members said the other day that the financial slump was also threatening the jobs of more than eight million Filipinos overseas.
They said those in the service sector, like construction workers and nurses, are the most vulnerable. If they lose jobs, they are likely to stay as undocumented migrants instead of coming home, since no work awaits them in the Philippines, said the Building and Wood Workers’ International
Overseas Filipino workers are also likely to reduce the amount of their remittances this holiday season, the group also said.
Filipinos in the United States are not giving up hope, however. “There are many jobs here that the Americans do not want to take. So we are optimistic we can survive the crisis,” Jerry said.
Second or third jobs
Aside from the looming threat of losing their jobs, Filipino domestic helpers will have to learn to cope with cuts in their salaries due to the global financial crisis.
Connie Bragas-Regalado, chair of Migrante International, said Filipino maids would have to cope with the crisis by taking on other jobs, borrowing money or participating in the underground economies in their respective countries.
“To ensure that they can send money home, they will have to find ways to cope. Our maids will have to look for a second or even a third job or sell goods in the underground economy,” Regalado said.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Mayor invites ‘kababayans’ in Canada to visit Villasis
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sun.Star Network Online (http://www.sunstar.com.ph)
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada -- Mayor Nonato Abrenica of Villasis, Pangasinan, urged natives of his town who are working in Canada to see for themselves the many improvements of the town that every one of them can be proud of.
Abrenica spoke on July 1, 2009, before his town mates at the Memories of Japan Restaurant at Don Mills Avenue in Toronto as he came to invite them during the forthcoming town fiesta in honor of the town's Patron Saint, San Antonio de Padua.
For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter [1]
Abrenica, who is on his last term as Villasis Mayor, said the construction of the new public market is now completed and P25 million was spent for it which is a part of the P40 million loan that was lent by the Philippine National Bank.
He said the P40 million was already paid by the Municipal Government in full.
He said the balance of the total amount is now being used for the construction of the Public Auditorium and the roofing is now being completed, which will be ready for use in January 2010 for the town fiesta.
Abrenica, who was introduced by Cristy Pe Benito, president of the Annak Ti Villasis of Canada, pointed out that the municipal building now looks elegantly because of the edifice’s new color, which is yellow.
He lauded the three candidates of Ms. Villasis 2010, which include Ms. Reynalda Lagleyva-Ramos presenting Canada, Ms. Violeta Madayag-Menor of France, and Ms. Nelpha Velasco-Vejano of Australia, for their participation in the contest. The proceeds of the project will go to a worthy cause.
Aside from the officers of Annak Ti Villasis of Canada, those who welcomed Mayor Abrenica were Quintin Palisoc, the incumbent president of the Pangasinan Association of Canada (Paca) and his wife Emily; Willie Rapanan, the incumbent president and immediate past president of Paca, and his wife Precy; Julio Sison, president of the Binalonan Association of Canada, and his wife Lan. (Jojo Taduran)
Sun.Star Network Online (http://www.sunstar.com.ph)
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada -- Mayor Nonato Abrenica of Villasis, Pangasinan, urged natives of his town who are working in Canada to see for themselves the many improvements of the town that every one of them can be proud of.
Abrenica spoke on July 1, 2009, before his town mates at the Memories of Japan Restaurant at Don Mills Avenue in Toronto as he came to invite them during the forthcoming town fiesta in honor of the town's Patron Saint, San Antonio de Padua.
For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter [1]
Abrenica, who is on his last term as Villasis Mayor, said the construction of the new public market is now completed and P25 million was spent for it which is a part of the P40 million loan that was lent by the Philippine National Bank.
He said the P40 million was already paid by the Municipal Government in full.
He said the balance of the total amount is now being used for the construction of the Public Auditorium and the roofing is now being completed, which will be ready for use in January 2010 for the town fiesta.
Abrenica, who was introduced by Cristy Pe Benito, president of the Annak Ti Villasis of Canada, pointed out that the municipal building now looks elegantly because of the edifice’s new color, which is yellow.
He lauded the three candidates of Ms. Villasis 2010, which include Ms. Reynalda Lagleyva-Ramos presenting Canada, Ms. Violeta Madayag-Menor of France, and Ms. Nelpha Velasco-Vejano of Australia, for their participation in the contest. The proceeds of the project will go to a worthy cause.
Aside from the officers of Annak Ti Villasis of Canada, those who welcomed Mayor Abrenica were Quintin Palisoc, the incumbent president of the Pangasinan Association of Canada (Paca) and his wife Emily; Willie Rapanan, the incumbent president and immediate past president of Paca, and his wife Precy; Julio Sison, president of the Binalonan Association of Canada, and his wife Lan. (Jojo Taduran)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Finding work in Canada
TALES FROM CANADA
By Tess Guieb
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:47:00 07/08/2009
CANADA—It did not take long for my husband to find a job as soon as we arrive in Canada.
My former employer gave me the number of her cousin who might be able to help us during our first few months. We had lunch with him one afternoon and he took us for a drive around West Vancouver. He asked my husband where he worked before and what he did and what other skills he may have. When he told him he can do a bit of carpentry, he mentioned he may be able to refer him to one of his contractor friends.
The following day, he got a call from the contractor and was asked to start the following week. The company did renovation work on houses in the west side of Vancouver. So after only two weeks in Canada, he started working at $15 an hour which was way over the minimum hourly wage of $8 at that time. It was a very rigorous job though. They had to knock down walls and posts and carry them from the house to the large garbage bins outside, doing manual excavation works, replacing wood beams, roofing, and the like. He would come home each night with his whole body aching from all the work and terribly exhausted. I was worried for him because although he was getting paid well, he was not covered by the Workmen’s Compensation Board (WCB). If anything happens to him, the government will not be paying compensation for any injury or disability.
After two months, he was able to move to another company where he was entitled to benefits after the three months probation period. Still, he had to endure hard labor every day and no matter what the weather was—rain, shine, or snow—he had to work. His hours were from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. On some days when there was a slowdown, he was given time off but without pay. During the holidays, he got two weeks vacation and was given a week’s pay as Christmas bonus. Although the work was hard he stayed for more almost two years and learned a lot in carpentry, masonry, and finishing, which helped him in some odd jobs he did on the side on weekends. While he was employed, he enrolled in Building Management at the Vancouver Community College attending classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on Saturdays. It took him six months to finish the course.
My eldest son, who was 16 at that time, decided to apply for a job at Safeway, one of the leading grocery stores in Canada. It was only a few blocks walk from where we lived. He was hired immediately as a stock clerk and started at $8 an hour. I must admit seeing him for the first time stacking up the shelves with cereals made me cry. I felt he was too young to work and just needed to be in school.
While the two men in the family were already working, I was busy sending out resumes. I searched various websites such as workopolis.com, monster.ca, and the like. I also surfed the websites of different employment placement agencies. I was fortunate enough to get the help of my friend in Ontario who revised my resume before I sent them out. I must admit it was a bit frustrating especially when all I got were automated e-mail responses from these companies.
I got the first job interview through one of the employment agencies I applied with. It was for a family-owned corporation. The job description was a perfect fit because it was similar to what I was doing in Manila. The family owns several apartment buildings and I would be handling the company books and would act as the supervisor of the building managers. It was a very extensive panel interview with the family matriarch, his son who was managing the business, and the accountant who was about to retire. I can sense that the mom and the accountant liked me but the son was apprehensive because I had no Canadian experience. It took more than an hour answering all their questions; I felt drained after. He said he was going to let me know as they are considering another applicant as well.
The following week, I got a call from him asking to come in and do a one-day trial for the job. The accountant was there to do the orientation. She said she felt I was capable of doing the work. At the end of the day, I was told that I would hear from the boss in the next few days. My former employers informed me that they got a call from this prospective employer and he was doing a background check on me. That made me more confident that I would indeed get the job. Much to my dismay, he called me after two days and told me he decided to get the other person because she had the Canadian experience. I felt so bad because I had my hopes high after everything I went through. Up to now, I still refer to this guy as my first Canadian heartbreak. What was funny though was I learned he was a client of the construction company which employed my husband and it was his house that they were doing at that time. Oh well, small world!
The next interview I went to was for an accounts payable position with an electrical contracting firm. Even if I tried to convince them that I was a fast learner, I did not get in for the same reason—no Canadian experience. That was really frustrating! I kept thinking—how the hell can I get Canadian experience if nobody would give me a chance? I was starting to give up since I only gave myself two months to get employed. I even contemplated applying in retail just so I could start working.
A relative advised me to apply with temp agencies which usually end up finding a permanent assignment for job seekers. So I started sending out resumes for administrative positions. It was almost three months since I started sending out applications when I had my first call from a temp agency to do work with Blood Services for four days. I had to call applicants applying as nurses and schedule them for an interview appointment. I was able to do the job in two days and the supervisor was so impressed that on my time sheet, she even commented that I did a wonderful job. I was paid $15 an hour for that assignment.
The second call was with a construction consultancy firm for an indefinite period of time. I was relieving someone sick and they were not sure if she can still come back to work. The job was mainly clerical—doing filing, photocopying, and some report preparations. I was starting to like it there, getting along with my colleagues. I was hoping the company would offer me a permanent job, but unfortunately after a month it had to let me go because the employee decided to come back.
The third assignment was for a receptionist with another consultancy firm. My immediate superior was also a Filipino. She gave me pointers on answering phone calls and dealing with the boss. I found the atmosphere intimidating especially when the two bigwigs were around. They were not that friendly at all so I felt scared and tensed at work. I felt relieved when they took me off that job after two weeks.
As soon as I finished with the consultancy firm, I got another call for another assignment—this time with an insurance company but I would be working in the Property Management Division. There was no timetable for this one. The administrative assistant was leaving for Edmonton and the company needed someone to replace her but was not sure yet if it needed someone permanent. The company is among the top ten in the insurance industry and offers comprehensive benefits to its employees. I was telling myself this might be the perfect one for me. Are the company bigwigs going to make me stay or will they also let me go in a few months?
By Tess Guieb
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:47:00 07/08/2009
CANADA—It did not take long for my husband to find a job as soon as we arrive in Canada.
My former employer gave me the number of her cousin who might be able to help us during our first few months. We had lunch with him one afternoon and he took us for a drive around West Vancouver. He asked my husband where he worked before and what he did and what other skills he may have. When he told him he can do a bit of carpentry, he mentioned he may be able to refer him to one of his contractor friends.
The following day, he got a call from the contractor and was asked to start the following week. The company did renovation work on houses in the west side of Vancouver. So after only two weeks in Canada, he started working at $15 an hour which was way over the minimum hourly wage of $8 at that time. It was a very rigorous job though. They had to knock down walls and posts and carry them from the house to the large garbage bins outside, doing manual excavation works, replacing wood beams, roofing, and the like. He would come home each night with his whole body aching from all the work and terribly exhausted. I was worried for him because although he was getting paid well, he was not covered by the Workmen’s Compensation Board (WCB). If anything happens to him, the government will not be paying compensation for any injury or disability.
After two months, he was able to move to another company where he was entitled to benefits after the three months probation period. Still, he had to endure hard labor every day and no matter what the weather was—rain, shine, or snow—he had to work. His hours were from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. On some days when there was a slowdown, he was given time off but without pay. During the holidays, he got two weeks vacation and was given a week’s pay as Christmas bonus. Although the work was hard he stayed for more almost two years and learned a lot in carpentry, masonry, and finishing, which helped him in some odd jobs he did on the side on weekends. While he was employed, he enrolled in Building Management at the Vancouver Community College attending classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on Saturdays. It took him six months to finish the course.
My eldest son, who was 16 at that time, decided to apply for a job at Safeway, one of the leading grocery stores in Canada. It was only a few blocks walk from where we lived. He was hired immediately as a stock clerk and started at $8 an hour. I must admit seeing him for the first time stacking up the shelves with cereals made me cry. I felt he was too young to work and just needed to be in school.
While the two men in the family were already working, I was busy sending out resumes. I searched various websites such as workopolis.com, monster.ca, and the like. I also surfed the websites of different employment placement agencies. I was fortunate enough to get the help of my friend in Ontario who revised my resume before I sent them out. I must admit it was a bit frustrating especially when all I got were automated e-mail responses from these companies.
I got the first job interview through one of the employment agencies I applied with. It was for a family-owned corporation. The job description was a perfect fit because it was similar to what I was doing in Manila. The family owns several apartment buildings and I would be handling the company books and would act as the supervisor of the building managers. It was a very extensive panel interview with the family matriarch, his son who was managing the business, and the accountant who was about to retire. I can sense that the mom and the accountant liked me but the son was apprehensive because I had no Canadian experience. It took more than an hour answering all their questions; I felt drained after. He said he was going to let me know as they are considering another applicant as well.
The following week, I got a call from him asking to come in and do a one-day trial for the job. The accountant was there to do the orientation. She said she felt I was capable of doing the work. At the end of the day, I was told that I would hear from the boss in the next few days. My former employers informed me that they got a call from this prospective employer and he was doing a background check on me. That made me more confident that I would indeed get the job. Much to my dismay, he called me after two days and told me he decided to get the other person because she had the Canadian experience. I felt so bad because I had my hopes high after everything I went through. Up to now, I still refer to this guy as my first Canadian heartbreak. What was funny though was I learned he was a client of the construction company which employed my husband and it was his house that they were doing at that time. Oh well, small world!
The next interview I went to was for an accounts payable position with an electrical contracting firm. Even if I tried to convince them that I was a fast learner, I did not get in for the same reason—no Canadian experience. That was really frustrating! I kept thinking—how the hell can I get Canadian experience if nobody would give me a chance? I was starting to give up since I only gave myself two months to get employed. I even contemplated applying in retail just so I could start working.
A relative advised me to apply with temp agencies which usually end up finding a permanent assignment for job seekers. So I started sending out resumes for administrative positions. It was almost three months since I started sending out applications when I had my first call from a temp agency to do work with Blood Services for four days. I had to call applicants applying as nurses and schedule them for an interview appointment. I was able to do the job in two days and the supervisor was so impressed that on my time sheet, she even commented that I did a wonderful job. I was paid $15 an hour for that assignment.
The second call was with a construction consultancy firm for an indefinite period of time. I was relieving someone sick and they were not sure if she can still come back to work. The job was mainly clerical—doing filing, photocopying, and some report preparations. I was starting to like it there, getting along with my colleagues. I was hoping the company would offer me a permanent job, but unfortunately after a month it had to let me go because the employee decided to come back.
The third assignment was for a receptionist with another consultancy firm. My immediate superior was also a Filipino. She gave me pointers on answering phone calls and dealing with the boss. I found the atmosphere intimidating especially when the two bigwigs were around. They were not that friendly at all so I felt scared and tensed at work. I felt relieved when they took me off that job after two weeks.
As soon as I finished with the consultancy firm, I got another call for another assignment—this time with an insurance company but I would be working in the Property Management Division. There was no timetable for this one. The administrative assistant was leaving for Edmonton and the company needed someone to replace her but was not sure yet if it needed someone permanent. The company is among the top ten in the insurance industry and offers comprehensive benefits to its employees. I was telling myself this might be the perfect one for me. Are the company bigwigs going to make me stay or will they also let me go in a few months?
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Nanny-Gate in Canada
George Abraham (Canada Connection)
www.khaleejtimes.com
3 June 2009
No less than American civil rights icon Martin Luther King called Canada “the North Star” when it comes to guaranteeing freedoms.
The three caregivers now at the center of “nanny-gate” would hardly say so. In their view, Canada is treating them like “guest workers” in a less than egalitarian society, where the interests of employers trump those of wage earners. Most of Canada’s attention is focused on the political career of the MP who denies she employed these three Filipino women. That is off the mark. What is at stake is the image of Canada as portrayed by Martin Luther King in a radio address in 1967: “Deep in our history of struggle for freedom, Canada was the North Star.
The Negro slave, denied education, dehumanised, imprisoned on cruel plantations, knew that far to the north a land existed where a fugitive slave if he survived the horrors of the journey could find freedom.” He was referring to the days of the Underground Railroad in the mid-19th century when 30,000 slaves found shelter in Canada to begin new, liberated lives. The reverse might be true today. About 100,000, mostly women from the Philippines, have arrived in Canada as “live-in caregivers” without basic protections, without citizenship or the right to permanent residency. They work under conditions that are hard to regulate, far from the public eye and closed to outside supervision. Canadians have assumed that because nobody has so far gone to a human rights tribunal or aired their grievances through the media, these guest workers are thriving in their new homes, providing much-needed comfort and support to babies and the elderly.
Canadians are asking themselves if these temporary workers are doing more harm than good to the image of Canada. With the reinvention of the immigration system last year to take in more applicants who meet job market requirements, Canada should be able to fast track those with skills in high demand. According to CIC’s Action Plan for Faster Immigration, applicants in 38 high-demand occupations should be able to immigrate to Canada within six months, as compared to the waiting period of six years earlier.
That Canada needs a temporary worker programme at all is an admission of the failure of immigration policy over the years. By allowing the waiting list to balloon to 900,000 applicants — including 600,000 in the skilled worker category — even professions in high demand had to wait their turn. Secondly, there was no way of prioritising applicants by skills, and so if masons were badly needed in Saskatchewan, there was no way the provincial government could select them off the waiting list.
While it is debatable whether Canada will need foreign IT consultants in perpetuity, I don’t see how it will need fewer live-in caregivers next year than it does this year. Canada will inevitably need caregivers in ever-increasing numbers. Therefore, it begs credulity to lump live-in caregivers into the category of temporary workers who need to renew their work permits periodically and place themselves at the mercy of employers if ever they want to become Canadian citizens.
Bringing nannies into the country on employer-provided work permits to earn a livelihood and support their families back home places these guest workers in an extremely vulnerable situation. Add to that the fact that they often work in private homes where working conditions could be, let’s say, open to interpretation. Who is to tell whether a workday is eight hours or 16 hours? For that matter, who is to define what constitutes “work”? And, finally, their “pathway to residency” is paved by the employer, to be yanked on a whim.
George Abraham is contributing editor of Diplomat and International Canada published from Ottawa
www.khaleejtimes.com
3 June 2009
No less than American civil rights icon Martin Luther King called Canada “the North Star” when it comes to guaranteeing freedoms.
The three caregivers now at the center of “nanny-gate” would hardly say so. In their view, Canada is treating them like “guest workers” in a less than egalitarian society, where the interests of employers trump those of wage earners. Most of Canada’s attention is focused on the political career of the MP who denies she employed these three Filipino women. That is off the mark. What is at stake is the image of Canada as portrayed by Martin Luther King in a radio address in 1967: “Deep in our history of struggle for freedom, Canada was the North Star.
The Negro slave, denied education, dehumanised, imprisoned on cruel plantations, knew that far to the north a land existed where a fugitive slave if he survived the horrors of the journey could find freedom.” He was referring to the days of the Underground Railroad in the mid-19th century when 30,000 slaves found shelter in Canada to begin new, liberated lives. The reverse might be true today. About 100,000, mostly women from the Philippines, have arrived in Canada as “live-in caregivers” without basic protections, without citizenship or the right to permanent residency. They work under conditions that are hard to regulate, far from the public eye and closed to outside supervision. Canadians have assumed that because nobody has so far gone to a human rights tribunal or aired their grievances through the media, these guest workers are thriving in their new homes, providing much-needed comfort and support to babies and the elderly.
Canadians are asking themselves if these temporary workers are doing more harm than good to the image of Canada. With the reinvention of the immigration system last year to take in more applicants who meet job market requirements, Canada should be able to fast track those with skills in high demand. According to CIC’s Action Plan for Faster Immigration, applicants in 38 high-demand occupations should be able to immigrate to Canada within six months, as compared to the waiting period of six years earlier.
That Canada needs a temporary worker programme at all is an admission of the failure of immigration policy over the years. By allowing the waiting list to balloon to 900,000 applicants — including 600,000 in the skilled worker category — even professions in high demand had to wait their turn. Secondly, there was no way of prioritising applicants by skills, and so if masons were badly needed in Saskatchewan, there was no way the provincial government could select them off the waiting list.
While it is debatable whether Canada will need foreign IT consultants in perpetuity, I don’t see how it will need fewer live-in caregivers next year than it does this year. Canada will inevitably need caregivers in ever-increasing numbers. Therefore, it begs credulity to lump live-in caregivers into the category of temporary workers who need to renew their work permits periodically and place themselves at the mercy of employers if ever they want to become Canadian citizens.
Bringing nannies into the country on employer-provided work permits to earn a livelihood and support their families back home places these guest workers in an extremely vulnerable situation. Add to that the fact that they often work in private homes where working conditions could be, let’s say, open to interpretation. Who is to tell whether a workday is eight hours or 16 hours? For that matter, who is to define what constitutes “work”? And, finally, their “pathway to residency” is paved by the employer, to be yanked on a whim.
George Abraham is contributing editor of Diplomat and International Canada published from Ottawa
Live in care work
www.workcaregiver.com
Tuesday 9 June 2009 11:44 pm
A reputable caregiver agency that specializes in the recruitment of qualified Filipino applicants for live in care work is looking for professional individuals to provide live in care services for families in need of child care, elder care, and some personal and household assistance. This live in care agency has established links with live in care givers in Kitchener, Ontario, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Israel, Denmark, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and other various locations.
To qualify for live in care work in Canada, all Filipino live in care work applicants must meet the requirements set by CIC or Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the live in care program. The live in care program allows qualified live in care workers to work in Canada without supervision in a private household providing care for children, elderly, and people who have disabilities.
Under the live in care program, there are four main requirements an applicant must meet:
1. Successful completion of the equivalent of a Canadian high school education.
2. Six months of training in a classroom setting or one year of full time paid employment wherein six months should be spent under the employ of only one employer in a field or occupation related to live in care jobs.
3. Able to speak, read, and understand either English or French.
4. Must have a written contract with an employer from Canada.
To all Filipino applicants for live in care work, the live in care agency requires the following:
- Biodata/Resume
- References from past and present employers
- Two to four photos on a casual basis with children or elderly (that you have taken care of)
- One to three character references
- A ‘Dear Family’ letter to your prospect employer (hand written)
- Proof of education. Required by Canadian Embassy.
- Copy of valid passport
- Caregiver training certificates and any other certificates
- Copy of high school and college/university diploma
- Copy of Transcript of Records
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) marked visa Canada.
- Police clearance from the country which you are living in for at least six months
To all qualified Filipino live in care workers who are interested for the said live in care jobs, you may log on to the agency’s website at www.ontariocaregiverrecruit.com or contact the agency through the contact infos listed below.
Ontario Caregiver Recruit Agency
46 Wycliffe Place, Kitchener
Ontario N2M 5J8
Canada
E-mail: mel@ontariocaregiverrecruit.com
Telephone: 519-578-5519
Fax: 519-578-5519
Mobile Phone Number: 519-580-6062
Dom's Note: Please be careful when applying for any job abroad. Check the validity of any job offer with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA.
Tuesday 9 June 2009 11:44 pm
A reputable caregiver agency that specializes in the recruitment of qualified Filipino applicants for live in care work is looking for professional individuals to provide live in care services for families in need of child care, elder care, and some personal and household assistance. This live in care agency has established links with live in care givers in Kitchener, Ontario, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Israel, Denmark, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and other various locations.
To qualify for live in care work in Canada, all Filipino live in care work applicants must meet the requirements set by CIC or Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the live in care program. The live in care program allows qualified live in care workers to work in Canada without supervision in a private household providing care for children, elderly, and people who have disabilities.
Under the live in care program, there are four main requirements an applicant must meet:
1. Successful completion of the equivalent of a Canadian high school education.
2. Six months of training in a classroom setting or one year of full time paid employment wherein six months should be spent under the employ of only one employer in a field or occupation related to live in care jobs.
3. Able to speak, read, and understand either English or French.
4. Must have a written contract with an employer from Canada.
To all Filipino applicants for live in care work, the live in care agency requires the following:
- Biodata/Resume
- References from past and present employers
- Two to four photos on a casual basis with children or elderly (that you have taken care of)
- One to three character references
- A ‘Dear Family’ letter to your prospect employer (hand written)
- Proof of education. Required by Canadian Embassy.
- Copy of valid passport
- Caregiver training certificates and any other certificates
- Copy of high school and college/university diploma
- Copy of Transcript of Records
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) marked visa Canada.
- Police clearance from the country which you are living in for at least six months
To all qualified Filipino live in care workers who are interested for the said live in care jobs, you may log on to the agency’s website at www.ontariocaregiverrecruit.com or contact the agency through the contact infos listed below.
Ontario Caregiver Recruit Agency
46 Wycliffe Place, Kitchener
Ontario N2M 5J8
Canada
E-mail: mel@ontariocaregiverrecruit.com
Telephone: 519-578-5519
Fax: 519-578-5519
Mobile Phone Number: 519-580-6062
Dom's Note: Please be careful when applying for any job abroad. Check the validity of any job offer with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Filipinos in the news
Living in Canada
By Mel Tobias Updated May 31, 2009 12:00 AM
Philstar.com
Filipinos in Canada are in the news again. They are about Filipina caregivers with problems, as reported by the Canadian mainstream press. Filipinos make national press not for something positive they have done but for the problems they have in the country.
There are very few articles about countless hardworking Filipinos who are active in shaping Canada towards globalization and continued prosperity. Here are two current examples:
Hessana Santiago came to Canada in 2005 as a live-in caregiver. She left her family (husband and four children) in the Philippines with the plan to be reunited as permanent residents of Canada in three years. Santiago finished her two-year work term and submitted her immigration paperwork. When a required medical exam diagnosed her 12-year-old daughter with chronic kidney failure, Santiago’s request for permanent residency was disqualified. Immigration officials informed Santiago that her daughter may pose “excess demand” on the Canadian health system.
A local politician is on Santiago’s side and wants to require family medical exams up front so potential nannies would know if their family members are eligible for residency before leaving them for years. It would also ensure the family could not be denied residency if one member developed a medical condition while the caregiver was in Canada.
Filipino Canadians are somehow split on this problem. Many would want Santiago to get her residency for her family on humanitarian ground. They hope that there is a compassionate exemption that will be granted by the minister of citizenship and immigration.
Others feel that she would be taking advantage of the Canadian medical system because there are many Canadians who may be deprived of medical help because an exemption could lead to more exemptions from every immigrant status. It is a known fact that many immigrants have taken or are taking advantage of Canada’s humane health program.
In all other immigration classes, all members of a family have a medical exam up front and are accepted or denied as a unit.
At the moment Santiago work two jobs, remit money to the Philippines to pay the medical bills of her daughter (around C$1,000 per month). If she is allowed to stay, Santiago will join 8,237 other British Columbians who earned residency through the live-in caregiver program, started in 2002.
Richelyn Tongson and Magdalene Gordo are caregivers in Toronto who testified against Ruby Dhalla, the glamorous and ambitious politician whose political career is in danger of collapsing due to an allegation that she and her family illegally employed, then bullied and mistreated the Filipina caregivers for her aging mother. Dhalla is a child activist, former beauty queen, Bollywood starlet, University of Winnipeg biochemistry and political science graduate, former model and owner of successful chiropractic clinics.
The testimony of the two victimized Filipina caregivers and their stream of negative comments made it to the mainstream press. The caregivers claimed that Dhalla seized their passports, were overworked and underpaid, even forced to take on tasks like washing cars, shoveling snow and cleaning the clinics she owned. Some say that all the negative comments were made up to destroy her political future.
All said, Ruby Dhalla is only 35 years old, very glamorous and is one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian politics. She was even named by a popular national magazine as the third “hottest” female politician in the world. Also the sexiest and best-dressed Parliament Minister. The investigation is ongoing.
On the positive side, Living Today Magazine, a publication of Philippine News Today and the first Filipino Canadian magazine in Canada continues to uplift the Philippine image amidst negative stereotypes and that all Filipinos are mostly caregivers.
Living Today’s June issue features Filipino Canadians who are current leaders in the hotel, hospitality and tourism industry of British Columbia. More hoteliers will be featured in future issues but for June, they are:
EVANGELINE ARCE IMPERIAL – Director of Sales and Marketing of Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside. Her strategic tasks include making sure that the hotel’s branding, image and identity follow the hotel’s three pillars – life of luxury, savvy service and expressive destination.
BASILISA MAE LIM-GONZALES –Conference Manager, Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre. The hotel has a long history in the development of tourism and the hotel industry in Vancouver.
JANE AGUSTIN DRAZIC – Sales Manager, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown. Formerly with restaurant group of the late Larry Cruz, Drazic moved to Canada in 2001 and is responsible for the hotel’s government and union accounts.
ROSSANA ARANETA – Front Office Manager, Empire Landmark Hotel and Conference Centre. She is in charge of several departments from reservations, security, housekeeping and the front office and conventions.
CECILIA DALMACIO – Sales Manager, Hilton Vancouver Airport. She has been with the hotel for several years and her career continues to flourish. Her responsibilities will expand with the forthcoming Winter Olympics.
FREDRICK YU – Manager of Sales and Catering, River Rock Casino. Yu is now a well-known figure in the Canadian tourism industry. His amazing career led him to top hotels like the Grand Okanagan Resort in Kewlona that led to his current post.
ALI MACARAEG – Senior Sales and Marketing Manager, Via Rail Canada. He joined Via Rail as a ticket agent then worked himself to a senior post in the company. Macaraeg said that life in Canada was and is still an amazing ride.
By Mel Tobias Updated May 31, 2009 12:00 AM
Philstar.com
Filipinos in Canada are in the news again. They are about Filipina caregivers with problems, as reported by the Canadian mainstream press. Filipinos make national press not for something positive they have done but for the problems they have in the country.
There are very few articles about countless hardworking Filipinos who are active in shaping Canada towards globalization and continued prosperity. Here are two current examples:
Hessana Santiago came to Canada in 2005 as a live-in caregiver. She left her family (husband and four children) in the Philippines with the plan to be reunited as permanent residents of Canada in three years. Santiago finished her two-year work term and submitted her immigration paperwork. When a required medical exam diagnosed her 12-year-old daughter with chronic kidney failure, Santiago’s request for permanent residency was disqualified. Immigration officials informed Santiago that her daughter may pose “excess demand” on the Canadian health system.
A local politician is on Santiago’s side and wants to require family medical exams up front so potential nannies would know if their family members are eligible for residency before leaving them for years. It would also ensure the family could not be denied residency if one member developed a medical condition while the caregiver was in Canada.
Filipino Canadians are somehow split on this problem. Many would want Santiago to get her residency for her family on humanitarian ground. They hope that there is a compassionate exemption that will be granted by the minister of citizenship and immigration.
Others feel that she would be taking advantage of the Canadian medical system because there are many Canadians who may be deprived of medical help because an exemption could lead to more exemptions from every immigrant status. It is a known fact that many immigrants have taken or are taking advantage of Canada’s humane health program.
In all other immigration classes, all members of a family have a medical exam up front and are accepted or denied as a unit.
At the moment Santiago work two jobs, remit money to the Philippines to pay the medical bills of her daughter (around C$1,000 per month). If she is allowed to stay, Santiago will join 8,237 other British Columbians who earned residency through the live-in caregiver program, started in 2002.
Richelyn Tongson and Magdalene Gordo are caregivers in Toronto who testified against Ruby Dhalla, the glamorous and ambitious politician whose political career is in danger of collapsing due to an allegation that she and her family illegally employed, then bullied and mistreated the Filipina caregivers for her aging mother. Dhalla is a child activist, former beauty queen, Bollywood starlet, University of Winnipeg biochemistry and political science graduate, former model and owner of successful chiropractic clinics.
The testimony of the two victimized Filipina caregivers and their stream of negative comments made it to the mainstream press. The caregivers claimed that Dhalla seized their passports, were overworked and underpaid, even forced to take on tasks like washing cars, shoveling snow and cleaning the clinics she owned. Some say that all the negative comments were made up to destroy her political future.
All said, Ruby Dhalla is only 35 years old, very glamorous and is one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian politics. She was even named by a popular national magazine as the third “hottest” female politician in the world. Also the sexiest and best-dressed Parliament Minister. The investigation is ongoing.
On the positive side, Living Today Magazine, a publication of Philippine News Today and the first Filipino Canadian magazine in Canada continues to uplift the Philippine image amidst negative stereotypes and that all Filipinos are mostly caregivers.
Living Today’s June issue features Filipino Canadians who are current leaders in the hotel, hospitality and tourism industry of British Columbia. More hoteliers will be featured in future issues but for June, they are:
EVANGELINE ARCE IMPERIAL – Director of Sales and Marketing of Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside. Her strategic tasks include making sure that the hotel’s branding, image and identity follow the hotel’s three pillars – life of luxury, savvy service and expressive destination.
BASILISA MAE LIM-GONZALES –Conference Manager, Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre. The hotel has a long history in the development of tourism and the hotel industry in Vancouver.
JANE AGUSTIN DRAZIC – Sales Manager, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown. Formerly with restaurant group of the late Larry Cruz, Drazic moved to Canada in 2001 and is responsible for the hotel’s government and union accounts.
ROSSANA ARANETA – Front Office Manager, Empire Landmark Hotel and Conference Centre. She is in charge of several departments from reservations, security, housekeeping and the front office and conventions.
CECILIA DALMACIO – Sales Manager, Hilton Vancouver Airport. She has been with the hotel for several years and her career continues to flourish. Her responsibilities will expand with the forthcoming Winter Olympics.
FREDRICK YU – Manager of Sales and Catering, River Rock Casino. Yu is now a well-known figure in the Canadian tourism industry. His amazing career led him to top hotels like the Grand Okanagan Resort in Kewlona that led to his current post.
ALI MACARAEG – Senior Sales and Marketing Manager, Via Rail Canada. He joined Via Rail as a ticket agent then worked himself to a senior post in the company. Macaraeg said that life in Canada was and is still an amazing ride.
5,000 ‘quality’ jobs for Filipinos in Canada -- Brion
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: January 06, 2007
Some 5,000 “quality” jobs in the oil and gas industry in oil-rich central and western Canadian provinces will become available to highly skilled Filipinos this year, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said Saturday.
He said this new market for Philippine labor comes after the two countries forged the memorandum of understanding “Cooperation in the Fields of Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development” to affirm the preference for overseas Filipino workers.
Brion, who signed the MOU with Pat Atkinson, Minister of Advanced Education and Employment of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, said the accord affirms the preference for OFWs in the Canadian labor market.
Philippine labor attache to Toronto, lawyer Francisco Luna, said the MOU would open “better paying, safer, quality job opportunities in Canada” for undocumented truck drivers in Iraq and oil and gas workers in other parts of the Middle East.
Luna said Canada’s labor demand also includes services, including higher paying fast-food type jobs. “Normally, these job types pay 6 to 7 dollars per hour, but here, they pay as high as 12 to 15 dollars,” he said.
Brion noted that Canada, the world’s second largest country in area, accounts for an increasing volume of remittances from major OFW host economies. He cited Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas figures indicating that total OFW remittances from Canada surpassed $117.061 million in 2005, representing a growth of 73.8 percent from $67.338 million in 2004.
Saskatchewan is one of the provinces comprising the vast central and western area of Canada, which includes Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, and other territories.
Posted date: January 06, 2007
Some 5,000 “quality” jobs in the oil and gas industry in oil-rich central and western Canadian provinces will become available to highly skilled Filipinos this year, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said Saturday.
He said this new market for Philippine labor comes after the two countries forged the memorandum of understanding “Cooperation in the Fields of Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development” to affirm the preference for overseas Filipino workers.
Brion, who signed the MOU with Pat Atkinson, Minister of Advanced Education and Employment of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, said the accord affirms the preference for OFWs in the Canadian labor market.
Philippine labor attache to Toronto, lawyer Francisco Luna, said the MOU would open “better paying, safer, quality job opportunities in Canada” for undocumented truck drivers in Iraq and oil and gas workers in other parts of the Middle East.
Luna said Canada’s labor demand also includes services, including higher paying fast-food type jobs. “Normally, these job types pay 6 to 7 dollars per hour, but here, they pay as high as 12 to 15 dollars,” he said.
Brion noted that Canada, the world’s second largest country in area, accounts for an increasing volume of remittances from major OFW host economies. He cited Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas figures indicating that total OFW remittances from Canada surpassed $117.061 million in 2005, representing a growth of 73.8 percent from $67.338 million in 2004.
Saskatchewan is one of the provinces comprising the vast central and western area of Canada, which includes Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, and other territories.
OFWs seeking work in Canada should review requirements--DoLE
By Margaux Ortiz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: May 20, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) advised Filipinos wanting to work in Canada as caregivers to ensure that their prospective employers fulfill all conditions required by the government agency before signing any contract with them.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) should make sure that their Canadian employers comply with conditions requiring them to provide for the workers' medical coverage and two-way transportation to and from Canada.
“Employers and agencies wanting to hire Filipino caregivers are also prohibited from collecting recruitment fees,” Roque said.
Roque explained that the caregiver could only be terminated for a just cause. In case of work-related death, the employer is also responsible for the repatriation of the worker's remains.
Roque issued the advice following reports from Filipino Labor Attaché Frank Luna at the Philippine Consular Office in Toronto who received queries from employers and agencies in Canada on conditions for the employment of Filipino caregivers.
He said the reform package on the employment and deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSW) promulgated by the DoLE in late 2006 provided for the rules in hiring Filipino caregivers.
The policy reforms, Roque said, reflected the requirements of Service Canada from employers contracting for the services of foreign temporary workers under the expanded labor market opinion (ELMO) in two Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.
Under the ELMO program, Canadian employers shall cover all recruitment costs including transportation of foreign caregivers to and from Canada. The employers are also being required to pay for medical coverage until the caregiver is eligible for provincial health insurance coverage.
“These requirements should warn OFWs and workers against individuals and agencies offering them caregiving jobs in Canada without necessarily complying with the requirements,” Roque said.
He particularly warned OFWs already outside of the Philippines seeking caregiving jobs in Canada.
“Agencies targeting Filipino caregivers already abroad fleeced their victims as much as $7,000 in placement fees in addition to transport and other processing costs for caregiving jobs in Canada,” Roque said.
He explained, “Agencies prefer offshore workers to avoid strict processing rules in Manila.”
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: May 20, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) advised Filipinos wanting to work in Canada as caregivers to ensure that their prospective employers fulfill all conditions required by the government agency before signing any contract with them.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) should make sure that their Canadian employers comply with conditions requiring them to provide for the workers' medical coverage and two-way transportation to and from Canada.
“Employers and agencies wanting to hire Filipino caregivers are also prohibited from collecting recruitment fees,” Roque said.
Roque explained that the caregiver could only be terminated for a just cause. In case of work-related death, the employer is also responsible for the repatriation of the worker's remains.
Roque issued the advice following reports from Filipino Labor Attaché Frank Luna at the Philippine Consular Office in Toronto who received queries from employers and agencies in Canada on conditions for the employment of Filipino caregivers.
He said the reform package on the employment and deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSW) promulgated by the DoLE in late 2006 provided for the rules in hiring Filipino caregivers.
The policy reforms, Roque said, reflected the requirements of Service Canada from employers contracting for the services of foreign temporary workers under the expanded labor market opinion (ELMO) in two Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.
Under the ELMO program, Canadian employers shall cover all recruitment costs including transportation of foreign caregivers to and from Canada. The employers are also being required to pay for medical coverage until the caregiver is eligible for provincial health insurance coverage.
“These requirements should warn OFWs and workers against individuals and agencies offering them caregiving jobs in Canada without necessarily complying with the requirements,” Roque said.
He particularly warned OFWs already outside of the Philippines seeking caregiving jobs in Canada.
“Agencies targeting Filipino caregivers already abroad fleeced their victims as much as $7,000 in placement fees in addition to transport and other processing costs for caregiving jobs in Canada,” Roque said.
He explained, “Agencies prefer offshore workers to avoid strict processing rules in Manila.”
More jobs for Filipinos in Canada
By Margaux Ortiz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 08, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- With the labor agreements between the Philippines and western Canadian provinces poised to be implemented, more Filipino workers can now look forward to more employment opportunities in the North American country.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque announced on Monday the creation of a composite team tasked to work out mechanisms for the implementation of the memoranda of understanding (MOU) between the Department of Labor and Employment and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Manitoba.
The DOLE forged the MOU with the provincial governments of Saskatchewan in December 2007 and British Columbia and Manitoba early this year.
The government has been scheduled to enter into a similar agreement with the Canadian province of Alberta this month, Roque said.
"The DOLE team has been directed to address urgent concerns affecting the employment of Filipino workers to Canada in areas provided for in the MOUs such as ethical recruitment, human resource development (HRD), training and credentials recognition, and workers’ protection," the DOLE chief said.
The team will be headed by Undersecretary Luzviminda Padilla with technical representatives from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and the DOLE Canadian Desk as members.
"The MOUs specifically provide for an ethical, orderly, and expeditious recruitment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Canada, non-collection of placement fees, protection of OFWs' rights and welfare, and for the provinces to encourage employers to support HRD efforts for OFWs and the reintegration of returning OFWs to the Philippines," Roque said.
He added that the DOLE team, pursuant to the MOUs, would exert efforts towards the setting up of the Philippines-Canada joint consultative council or working committee in a bid to ensure the implementation of the MOU provisions.
"The successful implementation of the MOUs would pave the way for many skilled OFWs to find better-paying and more quality employment that ensures ample protection of their rights and welfare in Canada," Roque said.
He said the team would specifically discuss recruitment guidelines with respective government representatives of the Canadian provinces, particularly on procedures and requirements for hiring workers under programs for temporary workers and provincial nominee, involving government and private employers in Canada.
The team would also explore talks on HRD to provide for Filipino-Canadian cooperation in skills training and upgrading of Filipino workers, Roque said.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 08, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- With the labor agreements between the Philippines and western Canadian provinces poised to be implemented, more Filipino workers can now look forward to more employment opportunities in the North American country.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque announced on Monday the creation of a composite team tasked to work out mechanisms for the implementation of the memoranda of understanding (MOU) between the Department of Labor and Employment and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Manitoba.
The DOLE forged the MOU with the provincial governments of Saskatchewan in December 2007 and British Columbia and Manitoba early this year.
The government has been scheduled to enter into a similar agreement with the Canadian province of Alberta this month, Roque said.
"The DOLE team has been directed to address urgent concerns affecting the employment of Filipino workers to Canada in areas provided for in the MOUs such as ethical recruitment, human resource development (HRD), training and credentials recognition, and workers’ protection," the DOLE chief said.
The team will be headed by Undersecretary Luzviminda Padilla with technical representatives from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and the DOLE Canadian Desk as members.
"The MOUs specifically provide for an ethical, orderly, and expeditious recruitment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Canada, non-collection of placement fees, protection of OFWs' rights and welfare, and for the provinces to encourage employers to support HRD efforts for OFWs and the reintegration of returning OFWs to the Philippines," Roque said.
He added that the DOLE team, pursuant to the MOUs, would exert efforts towards the setting up of the Philippines-Canada joint consultative council or working committee in a bid to ensure the implementation of the MOU provisions.
"The successful implementation of the MOUs would pave the way for many skilled OFWs to find better-paying and more quality employment that ensures ample protection of their rights and welfare in Canada," Roque said.
He said the team would specifically discuss recruitment guidelines with respective government representatives of the Canadian provinces, particularly on procedures and requirements for hiring workers under programs for temporary workers and provincial nominee, involving government and private employers in Canada.
The team would also explore talks on HRD to provide for Filipino-Canadian cooperation in skills training and upgrading of Filipino workers, Roque said.
Job search in Canada via agencies--POEA
By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: October 06, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The hiring and deployment of Filipino workers for the estimated 30,000 skilled jobs in Canada will be done through licensed recruitment agencies, and not the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, according to the POEA website.
The POEA also said the recruitment agencies would not be allowed to collect any placement fees from workers bound for Canada.
"Applicants may submit their applications to recruitment agencies with approved job orders from Canadian employers," it said.
For British Columbia, several Canadian officials are in the Philippines to finalize the guidelines for pilot recruitment for three Canadian companies needing of hotel workers, food counter attendants, and long haul drivers.
Other types of skilled workers will be needed for the succeeding recruitment by British Columbia companies and establishments, Labor
Secretary Marianito Roque said in a statement.
The Canadian officials who arrived in the Philippines included Assistant Deputy Minister Mike Carter of the Ministry of Technology, Trade, and Economic Development; Executive Director of Canada's Labor Market Development Mark Gillis; and other officials of British Columbia.
Roque said the Canadian team would work with POEA in interviewing this Tuesday applicants that have been pre-screened by Philippine-licensed recruitment agencies based on qualifications set by the employers at the Occupational Health and Safety Center.
"We aim to finalize the implementing guidelines to facilitate the recruitment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers to British Columbia in accordance with the memorandum of understanding between the Department of Labor and Employment and British Columbia. This is to ensure that OFWs bound for this Canadian province are accorded ample benefits and protection," he said.
The priority concerns for discussion include recruitment procedures, employment contracts, British Columbia-specific orientation package, identification of skills requirements, criteria for employers and sending agencies, and human resource development mechanisms.
The MOU was forged January 2008 to provide for cooperation in the fields of labor, employment, and human resource deployment and development between the Philippines and British Columbia.
The labor department has also signed labor agreements with the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: October 06, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The hiring and deployment of Filipino workers for the estimated 30,000 skilled jobs in Canada will be done through licensed recruitment agencies, and not the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, according to the POEA website.
The POEA also said the recruitment agencies would not be allowed to collect any placement fees from workers bound for Canada.
"Applicants may submit their applications to recruitment agencies with approved job orders from Canadian employers," it said.
For British Columbia, several Canadian officials are in the Philippines to finalize the guidelines for pilot recruitment for three Canadian companies needing of hotel workers, food counter attendants, and long haul drivers.
Other types of skilled workers will be needed for the succeeding recruitment by British Columbia companies and establishments, Labor
Secretary Marianito Roque said in a statement.
The Canadian officials who arrived in the Philippines included Assistant Deputy Minister Mike Carter of the Ministry of Technology, Trade, and Economic Development; Executive Director of Canada's Labor Market Development Mark Gillis; and other officials of British Columbia.
Roque said the Canadian team would work with POEA in interviewing this Tuesday applicants that have been pre-screened by Philippine-licensed recruitment agencies based on qualifications set by the employers at the Occupational Health and Safety Center.
"We aim to finalize the implementing guidelines to facilitate the recruitment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers to British Columbia in accordance with the memorandum of understanding between the Department of Labor and Employment and British Columbia. This is to ensure that OFWs bound for this Canadian province are accorded ample benefits and protection," he said.
The priority concerns for discussion include recruitment procedures, employment contracts, British Columbia-specific orientation package, identification of skills requirements, criteria for employers and sending agencies, and human resource development mechanisms.
The MOU was forged January 2008 to provide for cooperation in the fields of labor, employment, and human resource deployment and development between the Philippines and British Columbia.
The labor department has also signed labor agreements with the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.
Questionable Add-ons to Caregiver Contract for Canada
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: May 29, 2008
Toronto, Ontario, Canada- The Philippine labor attaché to Canada, Frank Luna, recently issued a directive: before a Filipino/Filipina is allowed to leave the Philippines for Canada to work as a live-in caregiver, an addition to the contract must be signed by her/his employer (The Philippine Reporter, April 16-30, 2008), to wit:
Addendum to Employment Contract
The employer undertakes to be responsible for:
1) Cost of 2-way transportation to and from Canada;
2) Health coverage for the employee before the provincial health insurance applies;
3) Termination of employment shall only be for cause;
4) In case of work-related death, cost of repatriation of remains to the Philippines.
That “short” addition must be forwarded to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Toronto, with a signature verification fee of US$10, and another CaD$28.75 as consular authentication fee.
Now the question is, how will these “new” additions protect the live-in caregiver?
Take the first requirement of the cost of transportation to and from Canada to be shouldered by the employer – it’s not found in the Labor Market Opinion of Service Canada for the live-in caregiver program, here or here, see screenshot here.
What the office of the labor attaché quoted in the press releases was the Expedited Labor Market Opinion for temporary workers for Alberta and British Columbia (E-LMO). I’m not an expert but it seems these are two different set of rules - one for the live-in caregiver program and one for the temporary worker program (E-LMO).
The main contention in this controversial contract, however, is really the repatriation clause in case of work -related death. Does Mr. Frank Luna even know how much it would cost to repatriate a dead body to the Philippines from here? It may cost upwards of the cost of a brand new car (over $10,000). Which employer in his/her right mind would agree to that? That’s a problem of the Philippine government, not the Canadian employer. Would Canada ask the Philippine government to pay for the repatriation of a deceased Canadian working for an NGO in Manila? I guess not!
We’re not questioning the sincerity of the labor attaché in a directive like this. But what he could have done was come up with a draft then met with all those who would be affected by it - employment agencies, caregiver groups, immigration consultants and lawyers.
Meanwhile all live-in caregivers waiting to leave for Canada (some waiting for over a year) when this contract came out have to wait to see if their employers would be willing to sign it, knowing that those add-ons could put them in debt.
The Philippine Consulate and the Labor Attaché better come to terms with the reality that this new addition to a contract will not do much good in protecting a caregiver’s welfare. A consultant I called said pending documents regarding this addendum are already mounting in the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Toronto) and many live-in caregivers with visa in their hands cannot leave Manila because of it. I understand a recruitment office has also stopped representing live-in caregivers coming direct from the Philippines, discouraging employers from signing the contract. Who knows how many more have done the same?
Most Filipino-Canadians probably don’t know that this new contract was likely modeled after a similar controversial memorandum by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) –Memorandum Circular 04 (CF-04). This memorandum was met with fierce resistance by different Filipino workers groups in Asia, the Middle East and other places as well.
Eventually giving in to pressure from both workers and foreign employers, Secretary of Labor Arturo Brion suspended its implementation.
Canada needs people and needs them quick. The Canadian dollar is going strong. And Filipinos have plenty of competition. If you look around Toronto nowadays, you will notice a lot of Mexicans in the city. Many Mexicans in the US who cannot get legal status there are beginning to look at Canada as the next best place to be.
And don’t forget other Latin countries, as well as Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, some Eastern European countries etc. The competition will eat the Philippines alive if the labor representative does not wise-up.
Remember, Canada is not Saudi Arabia or Singapore or Hong Kong where live-in caregivers cannot become citizens. In Canada, these workers have a great chance of becoming citizens and beneficiaries of its wealth. That’s why Canada is sought after by different worker groups.
You want to protect the Filipina worker? Review Ms. Mila Echevarria’s suggestions or Ms. Eva Agpaoa’s offer of help (Manila Media Monitor p. 9, May 2008, Year 11, No. 11). That’s the kind of assistance our kababayans need, not some toothless contract.
Noli Maniquis
www.adoborepublic.net
Posted date: May 29, 2008
Toronto, Ontario, Canada- The Philippine labor attaché to Canada, Frank Luna, recently issued a directive: before a Filipino/Filipina is allowed to leave the Philippines for Canada to work as a live-in caregiver, an addition to the contract must be signed by her/his employer (The Philippine Reporter, April 16-30, 2008), to wit:
Addendum to Employment Contract
The employer undertakes to be responsible for:
1) Cost of 2-way transportation to and from Canada;
2) Health coverage for the employee before the provincial health insurance applies;
3) Termination of employment shall only be for cause;
4) In case of work-related death, cost of repatriation of remains to the Philippines.
That “short” addition must be forwarded to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Toronto, with a signature verification fee of US$10, and another CaD$28.75 as consular authentication fee.
Now the question is, how will these “new” additions protect the live-in caregiver?
Take the first requirement of the cost of transportation to and from Canada to be shouldered by the employer – it’s not found in the Labor Market Opinion of Service Canada for the live-in caregiver program, here or here, see screenshot here.
What the office of the labor attaché quoted in the press releases was the Expedited Labor Market Opinion for temporary workers for Alberta and British Columbia (E-LMO). I’m not an expert but it seems these are two different set of rules - one for the live-in caregiver program and one for the temporary worker program (E-LMO).
The main contention in this controversial contract, however, is really the repatriation clause in case of work -related death. Does Mr. Frank Luna even know how much it would cost to repatriate a dead body to the Philippines from here? It may cost upwards of the cost of a brand new car (over $10,000). Which employer in his/her right mind would agree to that? That’s a problem of the Philippine government, not the Canadian employer. Would Canada ask the Philippine government to pay for the repatriation of a deceased Canadian working for an NGO in Manila? I guess not!
We’re not questioning the sincerity of the labor attaché in a directive like this. But what he could have done was come up with a draft then met with all those who would be affected by it - employment agencies, caregiver groups, immigration consultants and lawyers.
Meanwhile all live-in caregivers waiting to leave for Canada (some waiting for over a year) when this contract came out have to wait to see if their employers would be willing to sign it, knowing that those add-ons could put them in debt.
The Philippine Consulate and the Labor Attaché better come to terms with the reality that this new addition to a contract will not do much good in protecting a caregiver’s welfare. A consultant I called said pending documents regarding this addendum are already mounting in the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Toronto) and many live-in caregivers with visa in their hands cannot leave Manila because of it. I understand a recruitment office has also stopped representing live-in caregivers coming direct from the Philippines, discouraging employers from signing the contract. Who knows how many more have done the same?
Most Filipino-Canadians probably don’t know that this new contract was likely modeled after a similar controversial memorandum by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) –Memorandum Circular 04 (CF-04). This memorandum was met with fierce resistance by different Filipino workers groups in Asia, the Middle East and other places as well.
Eventually giving in to pressure from both workers and foreign employers, Secretary of Labor Arturo Brion suspended its implementation.
Canada needs people and needs them quick. The Canadian dollar is going strong. And Filipinos have plenty of competition. If you look around Toronto nowadays, you will notice a lot of Mexicans in the city. Many Mexicans in the US who cannot get legal status there are beginning to look at Canada as the next best place to be.
And don’t forget other Latin countries, as well as Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, some Eastern European countries etc. The competition will eat the Philippines alive if the labor representative does not wise-up.
Remember, Canada is not Saudi Arabia or Singapore or Hong Kong where live-in caregivers cannot become citizens. In Canada, these workers have a great chance of becoming citizens and beneficiaries of its wealth. That’s why Canada is sought after by different worker groups.
You want to protect the Filipina worker? Review Ms. Mila Echevarria’s suggestions or Ms. Eva Agpaoa’s offer of help (Manila Media Monitor p. 9, May 2008, Year 11, No. 11). That’s the kind of assistance our kababayans need, not some toothless contract.
Noli Maniquis
www.adoborepublic.net
Seek Canada jobs through licensed recruiters only -- POEA
By Margaux Ortiz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: March 18, 2008
MANILA, Philipines -- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has advised Filipinos aspiring to work in Canada to deal only with licensed recruitment agencies following announcements that the country is in great demand of skilled professionals.
Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said job applicants should be cautious of illegal recruitment syndicates enticing them with easy payment schemes for employment in Canada.
“Entry through Canada can only be done with a direct employer who will furnish the documents like a work permit or immigrant visa to a qualified applicant. This could also be done through POEA-licensed private recruitment agencies that have approved job orders for skilled workers and professionals in various industries,” Geslani said.
According to Geslani, Canadian authorities have announced that 1.9 million new jobs would be created over the next 10 years particularly in the Western provinces of Canada such as Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“We also warn job seekers that Canadian laws and regulations prohibit the charging and recruitment and placement fees from workers seeking employment,” Geslani said, adding that one of the laws stipulated that Canadian employers should cover all recruitment costs related to the hiring of foreign workers.
He disclosed that the POEA recently suspended local recruitment agency September Star and Canadian JFG Career Agency for charging exorbitant placement fees from prospective employees to be deployed in a restaurant chain in Canada.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: March 18, 2008
MANILA, Philipines -- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has advised Filipinos aspiring to work in Canada to deal only with licensed recruitment agencies following announcements that the country is in great demand of skilled professionals.
Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said job applicants should be cautious of illegal recruitment syndicates enticing them with easy payment schemes for employment in Canada.
“Entry through Canada can only be done with a direct employer who will furnish the documents like a work permit or immigrant visa to a qualified applicant. This could also be done through POEA-licensed private recruitment agencies that have approved job orders for skilled workers and professionals in various industries,” Geslani said.
According to Geslani, Canadian authorities have announced that 1.9 million new jobs would be created over the next 10 years particularly in the Western provinces of Canada such as Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“We also warn job seekers that Canadian laws and regulations prohibit the charging and recruitment and placement fees from workers seeking employment,” Geslani said, adding that one of the laws stipulated that Canadian employers should cover all recruitment costs related to the hiring of foreign workers.
He disclosed that the POEA recently suspended local recruitment agency September Star and Canadian JFG Career Agency for charging exorbitant placement fees from prospective employees to be deployed in a restaurant chain in Canada.
A Filipino leader in Canada's Cabinet
By Annie Gorra Rago
Inquirer News Service
DR. REY Pagtakhan, the first Filipino-Canadian in the federal Cabinet of Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien and the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Winnipeg North-St. Paul electoral district in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is his own kind of a man in politics. He's honest and forthright, well-liked and well-respected by his constituents and colleagues. His quiet ways of getting things done have prompted Prime Minister Chretien to tell the Winnipeg Free Press in 1997 that he likes Pagtakhan because he is not a "showboat. He's the kind of MP who has never gotten carried away with the trappings of the office."
In a hotel room in Richmond, British Columbia last July, it was hard to pick out the Minister of Veterans Affairs, one of the positions he holds in the Chretien Cabinet, among the Korean War veterans celebrating the 50th year of the Korean War armistice. Standing at about five feet with a receding hairline, a kindly face, the medical doctor-turned-politician looks more of a grandfather than a four-time elected MP and a Cabinet member.
"I don't do things for publicity," Pagtakhan says. His quiet ways have worked to his advantage. He doesn't come across as a threat. A political opponent told Maclean's, a national newsmagazine in Canada, that "Rey is a well-meaning fellow but naive." Pagtakhan won the elections and has been representing his riding since.
"It's a big job," says Paul Thomas, political scientist and The Duff Roblin Professor of Government at the University of Manitoba, of Pagtakhan's many roles in the Chretien Cabinet. Besides representing his electoral district in the House of Commons and Minister of Veterans Affairs, he is the Secretary of State for Science and Research. "He has departments to run and he's expected to be the voice of Manitoba."
He's been the voice of his constituency since 1988. He was a professor of pediatrics and child health at the University of Manitoba and a children lung specialist when he decided to enter politics. Says Pagtakhan of the change in careers, "I thought I could apply myself, having achieved a career in medicine, to the bigger issues of the nation." He considers medicine an excellent background for government. "Politics is about people, medicine is about people, so the two are congruent."
Unfair as it may sound, the question that comes to mind is whether his political success rides on the immigrant or Filipino votes in his multi-ethnic district. Thomas finds that thinking "too narrow an interpretation" of Pagtakhan's success in Manitoba. He does not discount the strong support of the Filipino and other ethnic communities in Pagtakhan's success; however, he says, "he needs to get votes from all sectors of his community." Pagtakhan has the same perspective. The 68-year-old MP acknowledges the support of his kababayan, but at the same time points to the fact that the vast majority of voters are not Filipino.
The four-time MP immigrated to Canada in 1968 to pursue further training in children's lung diseases at the University of Manitoba. Since then, he has been on the rise. He didn't start at the bottom of the ladder as most immigrants presently do. "I did not face the difficulty," he admits. After his fellowship at the university, he was automatically invited to join the faculty and licensed to practice medicine. He later became the director of the Manitoba Cystic Fibrosis Centre and president of the Manitoba Pediatric Society.
The ease with which he entered Canadian life must have been the reward for a difficult life in the Philippines. He almost didn't finish high school because his parents were strapped for cash. "There were periods in the life of our family when our parents would tell us that we were really on subsistence," he says. "It was very tough."
He credits his aunt for seeing them through tough times and the community for helping him finish medicine at the University of the Philippines. "I would take a loan from friends in the community, friends of the family," he says. "I was always in arrears." He wore second-hand pairs of socks, which he shared with his brothers.
The humble pan de sal and guava jelly stand out in his memory; they powered him through the most part of his pre-medical studies. He brought them with him from home in Cavite to his boarding house on a Saturday or Sunday, and ate them for breakfast until Thursday. "They would get hard," he says, because he was "too shy to put them in the fridge." On Fridays, he would get one decent breakfast. Up to the day that the medical board exams were released, he was selling bread in his mother's little bakery. Today he is helping shape the policies and future of his adopted country.
Maclean's Magazine recounts that in 1992, at the height of the controversy over Canada's admission of a former Iraqi Ambassador to the US into the country, Pagtakhan stood up in the House of Commons. The sister of a constituent from India wanted to come to Canada to attend the cremation of a family member. She was refused a visa because the Canadian government feared that she might stay in Canada. Pagtakhan, impassioned by the incident, asked his colleagues in parliament, "We allow the mouthpiece of a murderer to be hastily ushered into Canada as an immigrant without delay -- does this government have no heart?" The woman received a permit to enter Canada for the funeral.
A query from a constituent about the meaning of letters and numbers on a jar of tomato sauce prompted Pagtakhan to introduce a 1994 bill that required food and beverage manufacturers to print clearly and legibly "best before'' and expiration dates on the labels of canned and frozen foods.
In May this year, he introduced legislation that extended housekeeping services for surviving spouses of veterans to a lifetime, including improving health programs and compensation benefits.
However, not everyone is a fan. A 76-year-old widow of a WW II veteran recently told a national paper in Canada that she has collected a petition, but "the Minister of Veterans Affairs never even acknowledged it."
Criticisms don't appear to ruffle Pagtakhan much. The kind that stings most, however, comes from fellow Filipinos who think that he has not done much to forward their cause. "I feel proud that he's a Filipino and doing a lot of things on the national level," says one Filipino-Canadian community leader, "but I haven't seen anything yet on specific Filipino requests."
When told about this perception, the normally calm Minister's voice tightens. "It's not for me to go to the media and say, 'Oh, I've done this.'" He recalls helping a Filipino in Edmonton, Alberta, who was about to be deported by the Canadian immigration. He was able to arrange for her to attend her hearing without fear of being arrested by the authorities. He set the condition that if she loses the case, she returns to the Philippines. The woman lost the case, but instead of leaving the country she sought refuge in a church basement, where she is protected from the authorities under the law. The members of the Filipino community, says Pagtakhan, were ready to rally from Montreal to Vancouver. He asked them pointblank, "What will you achieve? Do you want to help her, or do you want publicity?"
How strong a voice Pagtakhan will be in pushing this cause forward may depend on how he will fare under the new leadership of the Liberal Party. Paul Martin, the new leader, was the nemesis of Prime Minister Chretien in the party's leadership race.
The other decisive factor of his political future may be his position on the same-sex marriage issue, which has divided the nation. In June 2003, the Ontario Court of Appeal changed the traditional definition of marriage from union between man and woman to union between two persons, thus allowing marriage between two people of the same gender. Instead of appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada, Chretien and his Cabinet supported the court's decision. They plan to introduce legislation in the near future that will recognize homosexual union. This decision has outraged Christians, Muslims, and people from other faiths who uphold the traditional definition of marriage.
Pagtakhan approaches this political quicksand cautiously. "My view is that the two principles must be allowed to prevail-the right to equality, which is about the right of people to do as they please as long as they don't harm others, and the principle of freedom, the freedom of religion."
Whatever results from the Paul Martin leadership or the same-sex issue, Pagtakhan does not appear anxious about the prognosis of his political future. He has written his own prescription for it: Serve as best he can. "I feel I can still do things for the community and to the best of my ability," he says. If only we could bring him back home to the Philippines.
Inquirer News Service
DR. REY Pagtakhan, the first Filipino-Canadian in the federal Cabinet of Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien and the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Winnipeg North-St. Paul electoral district in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is his own kind of a man in politics. He's honest and forthright, well-liked and well-respected by his constituents and colleagues. His quiet ways of getting things done have prompted Prime Minister Chretien to tell the Winnipeg Free Press in 1997 that he likes Pagtakhan because he is not a "showboat. He's the kind of MP who has never gotten carried away with the trappings of the office."
In a hotel room in Richmond, British Columbia last July, it was hard to pick out the Minister of Veterans Affairs, one of the positions he holds in the Chretien Cabinet, among the Korean War veterans celebrating the 50th year of the Korean War armistice. Standing at about five feet with a receding hairline, a kindly face, the medical doctor-turned-politician looks more of a grandfather than a four-time elected MP and a Cabinet member.
"I don't do things for publicity," Pagtakhan says. His quiet ways have worked to his advantage. He doesn't come across as a threat. A political opponent told Maclean's, a national newsmagazine in Canada, that "Rey is a well-meaning fellow but naive." Pagtakhan won the elections and has been representing his riding since.
"It's a big job," says Paul Thomas, political scientist and The Duff Roblin Professor of Government at the University of Manitoba, of Pagtakhan's many roles in the Chretien Cabinet. Besides representing his electoral district in the House of Commons and Minister of Veterans Affairs, he is the Secretary of State for Science and Research. "He has departments to run and he's expected to be the voice of Manitoba."
He's been the voice of his constituency since 1988. He was a professor of pediatrics and child health at the University of Manitoba and a children lung specialist when he decided to enter politics. Says Pagtakhan of the change in careers, "I thought I could apply myself, having achieved a career in medicine, to the bigger issues of the nation." He considers medicine an excellent background for government. "Politics is about people, medicine is about people, so the two are congruent."
Unfair as it may sound, the question that comes to mind is whether his political success rides on the immigrant or Filipino votes in his multi-ethnic district. Thomas finds that thinking "too narrow an interpretation" of Pagtakhan's success in Manitoba. He does not discount the strong support of the Filipino and other ethnic communities in Pagtakhan's success; however, he says, "he needs to get votes from all sectors of his community." Pagtakhan has the same perspective. The 68-year-old MP acknowledges the support of his kababayan, but at the same time points to the fact that the vast majority of voters are not Filipino.
The four-time MP immigrated to Canada in 1968 to pursue further training in children's lung diseases at the University of Manitoba. Since then, he has been on the rise. He didn't start at the bottom of the ladder as most immigrants presently do. "I did not face the difficulty," he admits. After his fellowship at the university, he was automatically invited to join the faculty and licensed to practice medicine. He later became the director of the Manitoba Cystic Fibrosis Centre and president of the Manitoba Pediatric Society.
The ease with which he entered Canadian life must have been the reward for a difficult life in the Philippines. He almost didn't finish high school because his parents were strapped for cash. "There were periods in the life of our family when our parents would tell us that we were really on subsistence," he says. "It was very tough."
He credits his aunt for seeing them through tough times and the community for helping him finish medicine at the University of the Philippines. "I would take a loan from friends in the community, friends of the family," he says. "I was always in arrears." He wore second-hand pairs of socks, which he shared with his brothers.
The humble pan de sal and guava jelly stand out in his memory; they powered him through the most part of his pre-medical studies. He brought them with him from home in Cavite to his boarding house on a Saturday or Sunday, and ate them for breakfast until Thursday. "They would get hard," he says, because he was "too shy to put them in the fridge." On Fridays, he would get one decent breakfast. Up to the day that the medical board exams were released, he was selling bread in his mother's little bakery. Today he is helping shape the policies and future of his adopted country.
Maclean's Magazine recounts that in 1992, at the height of the controversy over Canada's admission of a former Iraqi Ambassador to the US into the country, Pagtakhan stood up in the House of Commons. The sister of a constituent from India wanted to come to Canada to attend the cremation of a family member. She was refused a visa because the Canadian government feared that she might stay in Canada. Pagtakhan, impassioned by the incident, asked his colleagues in parliament, "We allow the mouthpiece of a murderer to be hastily ushered into Canada as an immigrant without delay -- does this government have no heart?" The woman received a permit to enter Canada for the funeral.
A query from a constituent about the meaning of letters and numbers on a jar of tomato sauce prompted Pagtakhan to introduce a 1994 bill that required food and beverage manufacturers to print clearly and legibly "best before'' and expiration dates on the labels of canned and frozen foods.
In May this year, he introduced legislation that extended housekeeping services for surviving spouses of veterans to a lifetime, including improving health programs and compensation benefits.
However, not everyone is a fan. A 76-year-old widow of a WW II veteran recently told a national paper in Canada that she has collected a petition, but "the Minister of Veterans Affairs never even acknowledged it."
Criticisms don't appear to ruffle Pagtakhan much. The kind that stings most, however, comes from fellow Filipinos who think that he has not done much to forward their cause. "I feel proud that he's a Filipino and doing a lot of things on the national level," says one Filipino-Canadian community leader, "but I haven't seen anything yet on specific Filipino requests."
When told about this perception, the normally calm Minister's voice tightens. "It's not for me to go to the media and say, 'Oh, I've done this.'" He recalls helping a Filipino in Edmonton, Alberta, who was about to be deported by the Canadian immigration. He was able to arrange for her to attend her hearing without fear of being arrested by the authorities. He set the condition that if she loses the case, she returns to the Philippines. The woman lost the case, but instead of leaving the country she sought refuge in a church basement, where she is protected from the authorities under the law. The members of the Filipino community, says Pagtakhan, were ready to rally from Montreal to Vancouver. He asked them pointblank, "What will you achieve? Do you want to help her, or do you want publicity?"
How strong a voice Pagtakhan will be in pushing this cause forward may depend on how he will fare under the new leadership of the Liberal Party. Paul Martin, the new leader, was the nemesis of Prime Minister Chretien in the party's leadership race.
The other decisive factor of his political future may be his position on the same-sex marriage issue, which has divided the nation. In June 2003, the Ontario Court of Appeal changed the traditional definition of marriage from union between man and woman to union between two persons, thus allowing marriage between two people of the same gender. Instead of appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada, Chretien and his Cabinet supported the court's decision. They plan to introduce legislation in the near future that will recognize homosexual union. This decision has outraged Christians, Muslims, and people from other faiths who uphold the traditional definition of marriage.
Pagtakhan approaches this political quicksand cautiously. "My view is that the two principles must be allowed to prevail-the right to equality, which is about the right of people to do as they please as long as they don't harm others, and the principle of freedom, the freedom of religion."
Whatever results from the Paul Martin leadership or the same-sex issue, Pagtakhan does not appear anxious about the prognosis of his political future. He has written his own prescription for it: Serve as best he can. "I feel I can still do things for the community and to the best of my ability," he says. If only we could bring him back home to the Philippines.
Despite Global Crisis: S. Australia, UK, Canada eye RP workers
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: November 23, 2008
MANILA, Philippines--Amid the global financial crisis, South Australia would still recruit Filipino workers to address a perennial skills shortage in the Australian state, the Department of Labor and Employment said on Sunday.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said preparations were underway for Philippine and South Australian cooperation on the recruitment of Filipino workers.
"Thus the recruitment of OFWs to South Australia would be orderly, ethical and in line with the laws and policies of the Philippines and of Australia," said Roque in a statement.
South Australia is the fourth largest of Australia’s six states and two territories.
British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham, meanwhile, said Filipinos would be much welcome to work in the United Kingdom despite the financial crisis.
Speaking to reporters during the opening of the British consultancy firm International Student Advisors 4U Ltd., Beckingham said overseas Filipino workers continued to make a "valuable contribution" to the UK by providing quality work.
The British Borders and Immigration Agency recently released a national occupation shortages list which included engineers, doctors, nurses and teachers.
Canada will maintain its policy of encouraging immigration to meet labor shortages despite the worldwide financial crisis, according to Jason Kenney, minister for immigration.
Interviewed Friday in Kiev, Kenney said, "Obviously, the economic crisis worries us a great deal... but we believe it would be counterproductive to cut off a labor supply from those sectors of the economy that are still growing by reducing immigration levels."
Prospective immigrants, he said, could include "nurses from the Philippines, heavy equipment operators from Ukraine and consumer software designers from India."
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: November 23, 2008
MANILA, Philippines--Amid the global financial crisis, South Australia would still recruit Filipino workers to address a perennial skills shortage in the Australian state, the Department of Labor and Employment said on Sunday.
Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said preparations were underway for Philippine and South Australian cooperation on the recruitment of Filipino workers.
"Thus the recruitment of OFWs to South Australia would be orderly, ethical and in line with the laws and policies of the Philippines and of Australia," said Roque in a statement.
South Australia is the fourth largest of Australia’s six states and two territories.
British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham, meanwhile, said Filipinos would be much welcome to work in the United Kingdom despite the financial crisis.
Speaking to reporters during the opening of the British consultancy firm International Student Advisors 4U Ltd., Beckingham said overseas Filipino workers continued to make a "valuable contribution" to the UK by providing quality work.
The British Borders and Immigration Agency recently released a national occupation shortages list which included engineers, doctors, nurses and teachers.
Canada will maintain its policy of encouraging immigration to meet labor shortages despite the worldwide financial crisis, according to Jason Kenney, minister for immigration.
Interviewed Friday in Kiev, Kenney said, "Obviously, the economic crisis worries us a great deal... but we believe it would be counterproductive to cut off a labor supply from those sectors of the economy that are still growing by reducing immigration levels."
Prospective immigrants, he said, could include "nurses from the Philippines, heavy equipment operators from Ukraine and consumer software designers from India."
Towards full Pinoy participation in Multi-cultural Canada
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: September 05, 2008
The National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) will hold a Canada-wide research conference on Filipinos and the Filipino community on November 6-9, 2008, at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
Called "Filipino Community and Beyond: Towards Full Participation in a Multicultural and Multi-ethnic Canada,” it will showcase the accomplishments of its three-year project in partnership with Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism. It will also be an opportunity to share community-based research papers using mainly participatory-action based models, some of which have been presented at international conferences.
"This conference will bring forward the most important issues confronting Filipinos and their community and how they address them in the course of their settlement and integration in Canada," said Cecilia Diocson, executive director of NAPWC.
The project started in January 2006 and focuses on four major areas of concerns: 1. enhancing Filipino women's equality and human rights;2. making the Filipino youth count in the community's future; 3. combating systemic racism; and 4. overcoming economic marginalization.
The conference will figure the project's enduring impact on community development; skills and capacity building; community-based research and collaboration with the academe and other research bodies; and public policy engagement. This way, NAPWC will underscore over two years work of educating, mobilizing and organizing around these four areas of concerns.
The conference will also report on the project’s major activities, starting with its formal launching in a conference that brought in delegates from various parts of Canada and invited guests from outside the Filipino community in May 2006. It will also highlight some of NAPWC's major accomplishments in the last two and a half years:
• National and echo-consultations on "Making the Filipino Community Count" hosted by local community groups in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
• Community-based researches and studies on youth, racism, violence against women, settlement and integration; economic marginalization and social exclusion; and immigration.
• Community's collaborative research with academics and other research agencies on various subjects related to community participation, settlement and integration.
• Public policy engagements with various government bodies at federal, provincial and municipal levels.
• Formation of various community groups to enhance social participation and assist in settlement and integration of Filipinos in a multicultural society.
• Community economic development initiatives that enhance the success and sustainability of NAPWC’s community-based volunteer member organizations of.
• Skills and capacity building programs that helped develop community leaders and resulted in employment and gainful opportunities for some members of the community.
• Networking and broadening links with other communities, groups and individuals outside the Filipino community.
Speakers and resource persons – mainly community leaders, community-based researchers, academics and scholars – have been involved in the project's various programs and research.
The workshops will explore in-depth concerns on women and youth, economic marginalization and systemic racism – issues drawn largely from the community and its members' lived experience and reality. The conference will also include a cultural component which is an important tool for community development and social participation.
Besides showcasing the project's accomplishment, the conference is also an effort to generate continuing research collaboration among academics, other research bodies and community-based researchers. This collaboration will be based on the participatory action model that requires direct involvement of members of the community and further develops tools for social analysis, community-based research and community action.
It will also encourage production of publications that can be useful for dissemination as part of NAPWC's broad work of educating and informing the larger public about the Filipino community and its efforts at settlement and integration. It will help construct an analysis of Filipino migration into Canada that incorporates gender as integral in its framework, and it will initiate the building of a structure that will facilitate this continuing research collaboration between academics and community-based researchers.
"Ultimately, this conference is a result of the continuing assertion of Filipinos and their community to enhance full participation and integration in Canadian society by making efforts at overcoming economic marginalization and combating systemic racism" confirms Diocson.
Registration for this 3 ½ day conference is now open. For more information or to register, contact the NAPWC conference secretariat:
In Ontario:Joy C. Sioson, pwcontario@yahoo.ca;
416-519-2553
In Quebec: Cecilia Diocson, pwcofquebec@gmail.com; 514-678-3901
In British Columbia:Leah Diana, pwc@kalayaancentre.net;604-215-1103
The rest of Canada can also contactJoy C. Sioson and Cecilia Diocson.
Posted date: September 05, 2008
The National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) will hold a Canada-wide research conference on Filipinos and the Filipino community on November 6-9, 2008, at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
Called "Filipino Community and Beyond: Towards Full Participation in a Multicultural and Multi-ethnic Canada,” it will showcase the accomplishments of its three-year project in partnership with Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism. It will also be an opportunity to share community-based research papers using mainly participatory-action based models, some of which have been presented at international conferences.
"This conference will bring forward the most important issues confronting Filipinos and their community and how they address them in the course of their settlement and integration in Canada," said Cecilia Diocson, executive director of NAPWC.
The project started in January 2006 and focuses on four major areas of concerns: 1. enhancing Filipino women's equality and human rights;2. making the Filipino youth count in the community's future; 3. combating systemic racism; and 4. overcoming economic marginalization.
The conference will figure the project's enduring impact on community development; skills and capacity building; community-based research and collaboration with the academe and other research bodies; and public policy engagement. This way, NAPWC will underscore over two years work of educating, mobilizing and organizing around these four areas of concerns.
The conference will also report on the project’s major activities, starting with its formal launching in a conference that brought in delegates from various parts of Canada and invited guests from outside the Filipino community in May 2006. It will also highlight some of NAPWC's major accomplishments in the last two and a half years:
• National and echo-consultations on "Making the Filipino Community Count" hosted by local community groups in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
• Community-based researches and studies on youth, racism, violence against women, settlement and integration; economic marginalization and social exclusion; and immigration.
• Community's collaborative research with academics and other research agencies on various subjects related to community participation, settlement and integration.
• Public policy engagements with various government bodies at federal, provincial and municipal levels.
• Formation of various community groups to enhance social participation and assist in settlement and integration of Filipinos in a multicultural society.
• Community economic development initiatives that enhance the success and sustainability of NAPWC’s community-based volunteer member organizations of.
• Skills and capacity building programs that helped develop community leaders and resulted in employment and gainful opportunities for some members of the community.
• Networking and broadening links with other communities, groups and individuals outside the Filipino community.
Speakers and resource persons – mainly community leaders, community-based researchers, academics and scholars – have been involved in the project's various programs and research.
The workshops will explore in-depth concerns on women and youth, economic marginalization and systemic racism – issues drawn largely from the community and its members' lived experience and reality. The conference will also include a cultural component which is an important tool for community development and social participation.
Besides showcasing the project's accomplishment, the conference is also an effort to generate continuing research collaboration among academics, other research bodies and community-based researchers. This collaboration will be based on the participatory action model that requires direct involvement of members of the community and further develops tools for social analysis, community-based research and community action.
It will also encourage production of publications that can be useful for dissemination as part of NAPWC's broad work of educating and informing the larger public about the Filipino community and its efforts at settlement and integration. It will help construct an analysis of Filipino migration into Canada that incorporates gender as integral in its framework, and it will initiate the building of a structure that will facilitate this continuing research collaboration between academics and community-based researchers.
"Ultimately, this conference is a result of the continuing assertion of Filipinos and their community to enhance full participation and integration in Canadian society by making efforts at overcoming economic marginalization and combating systemic racism" confirms Diocson.
Registration for this 3 ½ day conference is now open. For more information or to register, contact the NAPWC conference secretariat:
In Ontario:Joy C. Sioson, pwcontario@yahoo.ca;
416-519-2553
In Quebec: Cecilia Diocson, pwcofquebec@gmail.com; 514-678-3901
In British Columbia:Leah Diana, pwc@kalayaancentre.net;604-215-1103
The rest of Canada can also contactJoy C. Sioson and Cecilia Diocson.
Canada too accommodating to minorities, poll says
Agence France-Presse INQUIRER.net
Posted date: April 18, 2008
OTTAWA -- Most Canadians believe their country is too accommodating when it comes to its "visible minorities," according to a survey released Thursday.
The Strategic Counsel poll for The Globe and Mail and CTV, found that a hefty 61 percent of those asked thought Canada does too much for members of the visible or non-white minorities.
In mostly French-speaking Quebec province the figure soars to 72 percent, the survey found.
The study also showed a sharp difference between people's opinions on the question in urban and rural settings. While 55 percent of those in big cities thought concessions to minorities were too numerous, the percentage soars to 71 percent in communities with fewer than 30,000 people.
Almost 9 out of 10 people surveyed (88 percent) said their community was welcoming to these minorities, the survey found.
The poll of 1,000 people was taken April 10-13, and has a 3.1-percent margin of error.
Members of Canada's "visible minorities" in 2006 topped five million or just over 16 percent of the population.
According to data from the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, Filipinos living in Canada number some 790,000 as of June 2007.
Of this number, some 570,000 are permanent residents. Most (some 420,000) are covered by the Philippine consulate in Toronto. Some 180,000 are covered by the Philippine embassy in Ottawa while some 190,000 by the Philippine consulate general in Vancouver.
Posted date: April 18, 2008
OTTAWA -- Most Canadians believe their country is too accommodating when it comes to its "visible minorities," according to a survey released Thursday.
The Strategic Counsel poll for The Globe and Mail and CTV, found that a hefty 61 percent of those asked thought Canada does too much for members of the visible or non-white minorities.
In mostly French-speaking Quebec province the figure soars to 72 percent, the survey found.
The study also showed a sharp difference between people's opinions on the question in urban and rural settings. While 55 percent of those in big cities thought concessions to minorities were too numerous, the percentage soars to 71 percent in communities with fewer than 30,000 people.
Almost 9 out of 10 people surveyed (88 percent) said their community was welcoming to these minorities, the survey found.
The poll of 1,000 people was taken April 10-13, and has a 3.1-percent margin of error.
Members of Canada's "visible minorities" in 2006 topped five million or just over 16 percent of the population.
According to data from the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, Filipinos living in Canada number some 790,000 as of June 2007.
Of this number, some 570,000 are permanent residents. Most (some 420,000) are covered by the Philippine consulate in Toronto. Some 180,000 are covered by the Philippine embassy in Ottawa while some 190,000 by the Philippine consulate general in Vancouver.
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