Filipinos celebrate nannies' triumph
April 6, 2009
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Robert Cribb
Dale Brazao
TORONTO STAR
More than 100 Filipinos gathered last night to celebrate the promise of new provincial legislation to protect foreign caregivers from exploitation in Ontario.
MPP Mike Colle, who took on the cause of Filipino caregivers following a Star investigation three weeks ago, said his government is taking decisive action against "systemic abuse and exploitation."
"This is Canada's dirty secret," he told the crowd. "Exploitation is a real black stain on this country. ... This is not a Filipino struggle. It's really a struggle that concerns all of us. ... When abuse happens, when exploitation happens, it happens to all of us."
At one point Colle broke into tears speaking about his mother, an Italian immigrant who worked as a seamstress when the family immigrated to Toronto when he was 5 years old.
"This has been going on for a long time," he said, holding back tears. "You've got the attention of government ... and the public out there. They're listening now and they will take action."
The celebration was originally planned as a rally to support a private member's bill Colle tabled two weeks ago to protect vulnerable foreign caregivers mistreated by recruiters and employers. The bill was replaced on Thursday by proposed legislation designed to license Ontario's vast and unregulated nanny recruitment industry.
The proposed legislation, announced by Labour Minister Peter Fonseca, contains provisions for a toll-free phone number to receive reports of abuse, targeted enforcement of recruiters who breach provincial labour laws and the banning of placement fees charged to foreign caregivers by their agencies.
Colle said he introduced his bill to prompt the government to action. He said he is happy now to let his bill die on the order paper.
Colle attributed the swift government response to the Star probe.
"This has been a secret for too long," he said. "The stories lit this fire and this flame is not going to go out."
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Toronto Star