Thank you for receiving my concern. I have been in dialogue several times with government MPs regarding my perceived discrepancies within the temporary foreign worker caregiver program.
First, I want to make it clear that our family is not asking for a grant, a hand-out, or exceptions to be made for us. We would simply like the program to be fair for Canadians and the in-home caregivers who are using the program. We do not use the program to make or maintain a profit, as occurs in other areas of the temporary foreign worker program.
The caregiver arm of the temporary foreign worker program as we knew it was dissolved in 2014 and a new process was incorporated. The caregiver program that existed from the mid-1960s to 2014 allowed families to hire caregivers from another country when a Canadian worker was not available to care for their children, disabled children, adults, and seniors who wanted to remain in their own homes safely and independently, saving the government hundreds of thousands of health care dollars, as well as being a venue for early childhood support.
The original program worked amazingly well for our family and our caregivers for 26 years. Prior to the fall of 2013, an application for an LMO was a process that was not charged for. In 2013 there was a fee of $275. On December 1, 2014, the fee became $1,000. We have been using the live-in caregiver program since 1989 with great success, to help us care for our multiply challenged 49-year-old son who is not able to support himself in any of the basic necessities of life.
Families who are attempting to care for their children, disabled adults, and seniors trying to stay in their own homes should not be required to pay the new LMIA, and definitely not again for another LMIA after one year of employment with the same caregiver, so that they can extend their work permit.
In summary, number one, we request the elimination of the LMIA for families.
Number two, we ask for a review of the application program. Make it streamlined and manageable for families. The denial of application is currently very high and the requirements are not consistent. I suggest an upgrade needs to occur for standardization of information required, and it needs to be in plain and simple format. The current application is 30 pages long, requiring the help of an agency to ensure a greater degree of success at being accepted. You add in another $800 to $1,600 for this fee. Under the new regulations the costs just keep accumulating for families.
Number three, we ask that you remove the requirements of the unfair hourly wage for the disabled and seniors. The caregiver support requirements did not change when our son turned 19. Why did the hourly rate for the support of a disabled person or a senior change? It is now higher than what the BCGEU regulates for its caregiver employees. We need the hourly rate to remain at the minimum wage, with capacity to incrementally increase the salary with experience in our home.
Increasing the hourly rate, the hourly salary, to $17.52 an hour, increases the amount paid out by $2,145 a month. Families cannot pay this amount. Consequently, the aspiring foreign caregivers do not have jobs to come to. With for-profit companies like Tim Hortons, and families with children under 19, the minimum wage is allowed. When a disabled child is 18, the base hourly rate is $10.50, but when the child turns 19, the rate becomes $17.50. This is very penalizing. The care needs have not changed. Where did the government get the provincial median wage assessment? Many families are not paying $17.50 per hour for Canadian workers, yet we have been mandated to pay this amount for the same work done by a temporary foreign worker caregiver.
Number four, every Canadian citizen pays room and board. The maximum previously charged was $375 a month, which is already below government standards. The shelter allowance alone in B.C. is $750 per month. Families should have the option to deduct room and board of $375 or less. This should be a choice and not a determination by the government.
Number five, currently, temporary foreign worker caregiver rules require employer families to pay for a caregiver's medical coverage, airfare, recruitment fee, and health insurance, rising from $2,000 to $5,000, even if the relationship doesn't work out. These are all recent changes that have been made without much thought. This is similar to a benefit package that exists with companies that have over 10 employees, not one caregiver.
Number six, an arm of bureaucracy needs to be created that will protect caregivers and give them a safe place to go to when abuse occurs.
Number seven, the fact is that families will no longer be able to afford these changes. They will be placing their seniors and disabled in nursing homes. The current health care system cannot handle this. Half of Canada's population is over 50. Caregivers and in-home workers are at an all-time shortage as it is. Local extended care hospitals and community living agencies are experiencing severe staffing shortages.
Number eight, as predicted, the new regulations have resulted in a limited number of caregivers being available, putting families and seniors at huge risk.
I realize that your main concern is to hire Canadians. In our 27 years of advertising, we have not been able to hire a Canadian worker to work in our home, and we would be very happy to be able to do that. We have successfully worked with 10 or 11 lovely Filipino women who have helped us care for our son. The available caregivers from the Philippines and other countries are also desperate to come to Canada and become permanent residents, eventually Canadian citizens. These caregivers, who have already immigrated, are a large and supportive part of our country. They, too, are being penalized because the process is so difficult for families that the caregivers cannot get the positions they have been trying to apply for. Remember, very often the men and women who come to Canada through the caregiver program often move into care positions in our nursing homes and hospitals. We need these eager and willing caregivers.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.