In ignoring or bypassing recommendations and proposed changes to the Live-in Caregiver program (among them the Juana Tejada Law), Immigration Minister Jason Kenney tried to explain the his government’s position by saying the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) “is developing options for other improvements to the Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP)’ He further stated “ the implications of the various options will need to be assessed before any changes can be considered.”
With this, the hope for future caregivers to be exempted from hurdling a second medical examination in Canada or acquiring landed or permanent residency upon arrival has practically vanished into thin air.
Instead, to appease a restive Filipino-Canadian community, the province of Ontario has introduced lately some legislations aimed at protecting temporary foreign workers particularly caregivers.
Labour Minister Peter Fonseca is to file a bill that would make it illegal for anyone to “directly or indirectly “ charge any fee to work in Canada.
The proposed law is supposed to provide protection and prevent abuses among these kind of foreign workers. It also penalizes anyone to hold or confiscate documents such as passports belonging to these workers.
In the same vein, Kenney also promised to crack down on bogus or fake immigration consultants who recruit workers to work in Canada with
questionable or fake contracts.
WELL AND GOOD , but it seems that these measures, although laudable , are still unsubstantial and piece meal and does not address the crux of the problems .
What the community and other organizations sympathetic to the plight of these workers are batting for is the JUANA TEJADA LAW and other major proposed changes to the LCP such as the removal of the live-in requirement and most of these were denied.
Instead, what we got were consolations, a “CONSUELO DE BOBO”, worthless and empty prizes meant only to comfort us, at least temporarily.
In essence, it was a “Fool’s consolation “.
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TRICK OR TREAT PINOY STYLE: Filipinos have a peculiar way of observing November 1 and 2, which is All Saints Day and All Souls day respectively. Normally, it is All Souls Day, which is November 2 when we should be observing the day of the dead but as tradition has it,
November 1, All saints day or “Todos Los Santos“, people troop to the cemetery to remember their departed ones. At the same time, a fiesta atmosphere pervades complete with lots of food, majong sessions and other forms of gambling, drinking sprees. In short, its party time. In the meantime, the fellow lying six feet below the ground who was supposed to be The object of prayers and remembrance, is completely forgotten amid the merrymaking.
In North America, October 31 is Halloween, a spooky day for ghost, ghouls and zombies alike. Its also kids day for trick or treat as they go around the “hood “ for the candies and other goodies.
Halloween as observed in the Philippines or in my hometown for that matter occurs on the night of November 1 when we go serenading or searching for souls (soul-searching is another thing). We call it “Nangagaluwa “and like trick or treating, we usually go around the “hood “ for goodies but not candies . Instead, the homeowners dole out the traditional “Suman and Kalamay”.
At midnight, when the whole town is deeply in sleep, a monument is erected consisting of anything “borrowed “ from several houses, which could be a sofa, a bicycle, potteries or vases or anything like a refrigerator or a stove.
This monument. resembling a form of a tomb is called a “Tomba“ and is placed in the middle of the town plaza for everybody to behold the next morning.
Before noon, the “Tomba “ is dismantled and the owners of the “borrowed “ household things are reunited with their belongings.
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EVENTS AND MILESTONES: On November 21,young boxing sensation
Marvin “Marvellous Sonsona is set to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super Flyweight title onNov.21 at Casino Rama against Mexico’s Alejandro Fernandez. The fight is under the aegis of Orion Sports Management headed by Alan Tremblay who trail blazed Sonsona’s ascendancy to his first World title championship last September 4.
Sonsona thus becomes the youngest world boxing champion at age 19th.
Tremblay, a former Canadian Airlines senior executive and an avid boxing aficionado whose boxing favorites include Sugar Ray Robinson and Archie Moore, has big plans to revive boxing as a leading sports in Ontario.
Tremblay has the support of Filipino-Canadian community in the same way as he gives impetus and opportunities to young aspiring boxers from the Philippines like Sonsona.
AWARD: Philippine Press Club of Ontario (PPCO)member Nestor Arellano, a veteran journalist, was among the awardees in the Canadian Online Publishing awards together with other co-staffers of IT World Canada online magazine where he serves as a newswire specialist.
Nestor writes reports on technology-related news and other subjects.
They won in the best News awards category-Blue. Nes started as crime and police reporter in manila and covered extensively the military and defence beat for major newspapers like Malaya.
B-DAY: Our felicitations to our buddy and PPCO member Amor Gaborno
On his birthday November 22.