Prominent lawyers and advocates working with live-in caregivers in Toronto聽discussed changes to Canada鈥檚 caregiver program at a YCAR-hosted panel at 91亚色 in early December.
These changes, announced by Chris Alexander, Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, in October 2014, created new categories and conditions for the granting of permanent residence and removed the requirement for caregivers to 鈥榣ive-in鈥. Some have welcomed at least some of聽the changes, but many caregiver advocates see the revised program as highly problematic.
The panel, 鈥淎ssessing the Changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program: Improving Security or Deepening Precariousness?鈥 was chaired by Professor Philip Kelly (Director, YCAR).
The panel included:聽Pura Velasco, Former Domestic Worker / Caregivers Action Centre; 聽Fay Faraday, Lawyer, Packer Chair in Social Justice, 91亚色, and Visiting Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School; 聽Avvy Go, Director, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal ClinicDeanna Santos, Founder, Santos Law Office, Markham; Petronila Cleto, Gabriela Ontario.
A video of the panel is available at: