By Canadian Press

Advocates call for migrant care worker protections, document alleged pandemic abuses

Oct 28, 2020 | 11:49 AM

TORONTO — Migrant care workers are increasingly being exploited during the pandemic, an advocacy group said Wednesday as it called on the federal government to bolster protections for the workers and grant them permanent resident status. 

The Migrant Rights Network said in a report that the global health crisis has led to more alleged abuses faced by the workers who come from abroad to care for children, the sick and the elderly in employers’ homes. 

The report, which was compiled by surveying over 200 migrant care workers across Canada, alleges they have dealt with unpaid wages, long hours of work, and eviction with little legal protection during the pandemic.

The group makes a series of recommendations aimed at addressing employment conditions, housing, and securing pathways to citizenship for the workers.

“Restrictive immigration laws have produced conditions for exploitation and abuse that care workers are facing now and have faced for decades,” said Diana Da Silva, an organizer with Caregivers Action Centre, a member of Migrant Rights Network.

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“These experiences are not new, but have been further exacerbated during COVID-19,” she said.

The group said some workers have seen their employment cut, which prevents them from accumulating enough work hours to apply for permanent immigration status.

It also said some workers have been laid off and have not been able to access income supports.

“Permanent resident status is the single most important change that would ensure migrant care workers can protect themselves against labour exploitation,” the report ssaid.

“(It) immediately gives workers the ability to leave a bad job and make a complaint without fear of reprisals.”

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 28, 2020.

Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian Press