Citizenship and Immigration Committee on May 14th, 2009

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Who do you have to turn to if you can't turn here? If you can't find support here, who can you turn to?

[Agatha Mason]

That's a very loaded question. Some probably turn to their beliefs in God, because I always say the people who call themselves leaders and assume what we call power can't change the weather, and that's where true power lies.

I have a statement that I was going to ask if I can present. It will only take a few minutes in the context of that, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

No, we're going to go to Mr. Bevilacqua. We'll see how it goes, as to whether the committee will let you do that.

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Vaughan, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I want Ms. Mason to know that I'm an immigrant to this country as well. My first job was sweeping sawdust in a factory as a young man, and I understand the struggles of immigration. I'm the product of Canada's immigration system and spend a great deal of time, as Ruby Dhalla does, protecting the rights of individuals who in fact need the help of legislators.

You said you represent the live-in caregivers and the whole issue of confidential services, rights, and responsibility. You have obviously focused on one particular case. I am wondering whether you're going to bring many more cases in front of this committee, supposing we as a committee, according to the questions raised by Mr. Dykstra and others, have taken up a role that is going to analyze all violations in relationship to the caregivers program.

I want you to know on behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada that we want to improve this program. If you take the time to read our report—as I'm sure you may have done, since you represent an agency that takes care of caregivers—then you will find that the Liberal Party has actually stood as a party that cares about caregivers for many, many years.

Why have you chosen only to represent these particular caregivers and not the many others who I'm sure have faced the same types of violations that they allege? Why is it just these two? Why has it become just an issue related to Ms. Ruby Dhalla? Why is there that focus?

[Agatha Mason]

I don't think we are focusing on it. This is a story that happened a year ago. We are responding to your inquiry; I don't think we focused on that particular story. In the report, I said that we've had issues of sexual assault and other issues. So this is not the story we're on; this is an inquiry that you're asking for.

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Vaughan, ON]

No, actually there was a—

[Agatha Mason]

I just want to remind you that the idea of coming forward with this particular story did not originate with Intercede. I just want to remind you of that. I still hold that with all the other stories I alluded to, we still have a commitment to privacy—

[Eunice Quash]

And confidentiality.

[Agatha Mason]

—and confidentiality.

Had this individual, the caregiver, not come out and chosen.... And everybody has that right; this is still a free country. She has the right to do so and she exercised that right. Had she not mentioned in that presentation, in that forum, that she had contacted us, we wouldn't be here today.

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Vaughan, ON]

So you're basically representing them here, because I'm sure—

[Agatha Mason]

I'm not representing—

[Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal, Vaughan, ON]

Have they signed a waiver?

[Agatha Mason]

No.

I just want to correct here. I'm not representing them. In light of the fact that she mentioned that she spoke with somebody from our agency—it happened to be me, at the time—I am responding to this committee in relation to your inquiry about what happened.

I still have not broken confidentiality. I still have not given you details about the conversation with the caregiver. I still choose not to do so.

I just want to give you one tip, though. If I had chosen to do so, the story would have been a lot more detailed and probably hair-raising.

I want to say that I have no bias in this issue. As I stated, I have no motives. I didn't know who Ruby was at the time. If you're alluding to there being some bias on our part by supporting the caregiver and her story, as I said, I did not even hear what she said on Tuesday. I was not privy to the hearings. I am just being frank and honest in this.

It's a pity, though, that this has become a big political issue. I joked about it and said that in my 20 years in Canada, this is the first time the press has been so consistent about a political story. Usually we are interested in stories in the U.S. about their politicians.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you.

Mr. Dykstra.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Ms. Mason, you made a comment that I want to be clear about. You said that there are other parts of this story that would make our hair rise. I'm going to be very direct. What do you mean by that?

[Agatha Mason]

I mean that from what the caregiver said to me, I put what she endured in the case in the category of abuse. As I said, I don't know what she told you, but, for instance—

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Well, I can tell you. I can repeat what she said. She said she was mentally tortured and physically stressed—that's what she said to this committee—and that she felt like a slave while she was under the employment of the Dhallas.

[Agatha Mason]

Well, to someone like myself, who comes from an African ancestry, who knows historically what slavery meant to my ancestors, for someone to put the experience in the category of slavery I think is appalling and is an extreme, hair-raising case, because we live in a developed country, and you don't expect to hear those stories in Canada, frankly.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Ms. Mason, I want to tell you that this committee is going to do everything it can to ensure that the report we submit to the House of Commons takes into account the recommendations the three of you have brought here. I want to assure you that you can continue to have faith in the political process and in the federal government. I appreciate what you've said today, and I want to assure you that we are going to take everything you've said today into account. I'm hoping that at the end of the day, when I get a chance to speak with you again, you will see that changes have been made because of the witnessing that you have done today.

[Agatha Mason]

I'm still asking for two minutes, if it's okay with the chairman.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Ma'am, you can have the rest of my time.

[Agatha Mason]

Okay, thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Ms. Mason, go ahead.

[Agatha Mason]

Thanks.

As you know, the world is now a global village, and Canada is highly regarded on the pinnacle of that village. If we believe that Canada is part of the global village, then no one is a foreigner; we belong in the places where we choose to live and work and which we call our home.

If we believe that Canada is part of the global village, then no one is illegal. There are illegal acts, not illegal people.

If we believe that Canada is part of the global village, then we ought to change our mind-sets and discard the labels we place on those who choose to call this country home too, regardless of the date of arrival.

If we believe the strength of a chain is its weakest link, then we should take time to examine the ways we treat those who help to care for the weakest ones among us: children, seniors, and those with special needs. These weak ones are entrusted in the care of those we label “temporary foreign workers”, men and women from around the world who have chosen to come to this country hoping for the chance of a better life for themselves and their families. We label them “temporary workers”, yet we entrust them with shaping permanence, such as the impressions that they make in the lives of our children. When we treat caregivers with disrespect, then we also disrespect those they care for.

If we believe that the children are the future, then let us show a little respect for those who are helping to raise the future of Canada. Are the children who live in Canada more deserving than the children of the men and women who are raising them? Caregivers are people too. They pay taxes, they abide by the laws, and they have hopes and dreams.

If those of you in authority here want to do the right thing, then I propose a win-win situation. We can offer those who are now on the socio-economic peripheries of Canada the chance to be included in our global village. Those men and women, who travel from around the globe, are living among us. Many of them are caregivers. Some have temporary status; others, for a variety of reasons, have lost status. If they all are offered landed immigrant status, then they will pay landing fees and taxes based on their income. After all, they are working—