Thank you for the question. Just to reiterate, the conditions, especially for workers who have a closed permit, are really ripe for abuse whether or not an employer intends to be abusive. “Oh, it's 6 in the morning. Can you help me do something? Oh, it's 9 o'clock at night at night. Can you help me do something?” A number of caregivers we've spoken with—I would say the majority—have been required to do work outside of their contract or required to work longer than their contract in terms of hours per day, and they have often been paid less. This is certainly the case on an hourly basis if they put in 12 to 15 hours per day instead of eight hours per day. This speaks to the expansive abuse across the program.
Does this go away if someone has an open permit or permanent residence? It may not go away completely, but the reliance of the worker on that employer is minimized. They have the opportunity to seek other employment without having a gap in their eligibility to work. Currently, if those with a closed permit leave an abusive employer, we expect them to have the agency to take care of themselves. They may have to wait four to six months before they can find a new employer and have the proper documents to work legally. This really puts people in vulnerable positions. It often pushes people to break the strict rules that are placed on them. It makes them vulnerable to what is called labour trafficking.
Those are the recommendations we have. I understand they were laid out in a brief that was submitted by the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office. I think it provides some concrete direction to protect workers.