My name is Mildred German, and I'm with the Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada, the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance, which is a group of youth and students who address the issues affecting youth in the Filipino community in Canada. We are formed through the Philippine Women Centre.
Thank you for this opportunity to speak about the situation of Filipino youth. The Filipino community is the third largest immigrant group in Canada. Current estimates show that there are nearly half a million Filipino immigrants and migrant workers living in Canada. A good portion of the Filipino community is made up of youth and students, and this is one of the reasons we would like to speak here today.
I'd like to speak about the impact of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's live-in caregiver program on Filipino youth. Since the early 1980s, nearly 100,000 Filipino women have been forced to migrate to Canada as live-in caregivers; 95% of workers under the LCP are Filipino women who cannot bring their families when they enter Canada to work.
Filipino youth are the most affected, as they are the ones left behind while their parents are working abroad. When youth are finally able to be reunited with their parents, they are reunited as strangers--the result of many years of separation. At the same time, Filipino youth who immigrate to Canada usually find themselves in an unknown environment, isolated and segregated as they adjust to their new life here.
Most newly arrived Filipino youth are also faced with the trauma of immigration, family separation, and reunification. A recent study at the University of British Columbia found that Filipino youth experienced an average of five years of separation from their parents, who come to Canada under the CIC's live-in caregiver program, and in many cases the separation is longer.
Adding to the trauma of immigration, family separation, and reunification is the lack of genuine support and services culturally appropriate to Filipino youth and the Filipino community. It is therefore not surprising that the study at UBC also found that Filipino youth have the second-highest high school dropout rate from Vancouver schools. Studies have linked this issue to the economic marginalization of the Filipino community. In fact, youth often have to work and contribute to the household income to help sustain their family's needs. The majority of Filipinos in Canada are working class, marginalized in the labour sector, and are the new generation of cheap labour here in Canada.
We Filipinos have noticed how underrepresented our community is when it comes to the issues affecting us. The ongoing underrepresentation of the Filipino community is a reflection of the systemic barriers affecting the Filipino community. When certain community groups question and criticize the Canadian government on policies such as immigration, the community is usually disappointed with the answers they are given--such as what happened on January 21, 2008, when the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance, alongside other immigrant organizations and community groups, questioned the CIC on the social impact of their policies, particularly with the temporary workers program, the Canadian experience class, and the live-in caregiver program. The CIC deputy director of the permanent resident policy and programs development division, Katherine Pestieau, admitted there is no money for the integration and settlement of our immigrant communities here in Canada. This disappointing response could only further impact the racist policies implemented on our community and other immigrant communities.
As mentioned, the Filipino communities' experience with the LCP...the impacts are tremendous: the trauma of immigration, family separation, and reunification. This is why it is urgent to look into the social impact of Canada's immigration policies: the temporary workers program, the live-in caregiver program, and the Canadian experience class.
We demand the scrapping of the live-in caregiver program. Allow Filipino migrant workers to come as permanent residents and allow families to come together as their choice to avoid the long years of family separation. We also demand more resources for the integration and settlement of our immigrant communities here in Canada.