Evidence of meeting #17 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was caregivers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Okay. How much money per year do you receive, and this year and last year how much money did you receive from ISAP?
Intercede
I'll let Agatha answer that, if you don't mind, as the executive director.
Executive Director, Intercede
The contribution agreement allows for $319,000, and we had a slippage of about $50,000.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
And this is strictly to provide assistance for migrant workers and caregivers?
Executive Director, Intercede
We provide services for what are referred to as ISAP-eligible clients, meaning people who come through immigration in Canada and are eligible to work legally under the temporary foreign worker program. Our focus, though, is on live-in caregivers and caregivers who are—
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Of the percentage of the funding that you get and the amount spent, how much of it is strictly for caregivers, percentage-wise?
Executive Director, Intercede
When you are asking about caregivers, are you talking in terms of programs? All of it is for programs—
Liberal
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
So a caregiver comes in and she or he has three years in order to work and then apply for an H and C, humanitarian and compassionate grounds, in order to land permanently, right?
Executive Director, Intercede
A caregiver has to work for 24 months and pay taxes within three years to be eligible to apply for landed status.
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Okay. And by the time the family gets reunited, it could be up to six years.
Executive Director, Intercede
Yes. For example, many of the caregivers we are seeing from the Philippines have migrated to countries like Hong Kong, Japan, Israel, so by the time they come, the unification—
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Ms. Mason, I'm fully aware of the numbers and the migration. I'm talking about Canada. Can it take up to six years before a family can be united?
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
So if a lady has a two-year-old, by the time that two-year-old gets united with the mother in Canada, he or she can be eight years old.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
There's an injustice right there. The present system does not work.