Citizenship and Immigration committee  No, not at all. Quebec innovated again by creating $5 daycare centres, which is quite interesting and advantageous for families that cannot have access to live-in caregivers. We should not forget the shift to ambulatory care and the social economy market, which is rapidly expanding.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  When they arrive as landed immigrants or, if that's not possible, with an open work permit, that is to say one in the live-in caregiver category, if the employer's name is not entered, it is easier for them to change jobs without necessarily being penalized with respect to the application of other acts.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  As regards labour standards, as I explained, they have a signed contract in accordance with Quebec's Act respecting labour standards. So they are supposed to work 40 hours a week, and overtime must be paid. The employers aren't necessarily in bad faith. We're not saying that all employers are mean and don't comply with the act.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'll try to be very brief, even though it's very complex. An employer who wants to bring in a live-in caregiver from outside Canada must absolutely first do business with Human Resources Canada to have the employment offer validated. That's where the actions of the recruitment agencies are very difficult and bizarre.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  The live-in caregiver issue is currently under federal jurisdiction from a number of standpoints. Gains have been made with regard to labour standards in the past 20 years. As a result, live-in caregivers are covered by the law. Technically, they are protected by Quebec's Act respecting labour standards, but the program, as it currently stands, absolutely has not helped them because they cannot exercise that right.