25 APRIL 2009 - Steelworkers Join Independent Workers Ass'n in Demanding Changes to Caregiver Program

TORONTO - The United Steelworkers (USW) has endorsed the call by the Independent Workers Association (IWA) for serious changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program.

The USW and IWA will let Citizen and Immigration Minister Jason Kenny know that the Live-in Caregiver Program is fatally flawed at the April 26th public consultations in Toronto.

The Independent Workers Ass'n, immigration lawyer Rafael Fabregas and Migrante Ontario have been advocating for fair treatment of the Live-in Caregiver Program participants. "The Conservative government should stop forcing caregivers to have a second medical. They are the only classification forced to have two. It is not fair. It is not humane," said Peter Leibovitch.

Minister Kenny should adopt the proposed Juana Tejada Law, eliminating the requirement for a second medical exam. The law is aptly named in honour of a caregiver who died of cancer after completing her 3 year program. She was originally denied permanent status because she was diagnosed with cancer while she applied for status. After months of community lobbying she was given status on humanitarian grounds. "No one else should go through what Juana Teiada had to endure. And if the government eliminates the need for a second medical, no one will have to" said Peter Leibovitch.

The IWA along with the USW firmly believes that the Live-in Caregiver Program cannot continue in its current form. It should simply become a permanent residency program. As it exists now, this program along with other Temporary Foreign Workers Programs creates second class citizens in Canada.

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/For further information: Peter Leibovitch, (416) 278-4123/