PROTECTING EMPLOYERS FROM ABUSIVE CAREGIVERS/NANNIES

Last year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada introduced new regulations:

1. Brought the Live-in Caregiver program at the same level as other foreign worker programs.

2. Made  it unlawful for employers and recruiters to charge foreign live-in caregivers recruitment fee

3. Mandatory for employers to pay travel costs upfront.

4. Allowed more time for caregivers to complete the minimum 2-years' work requirement as eligibilty towards permanent residence, and therefore that much more leverage to them to frequently change employers.

While protection of caregivers from abuse is a good step, the regulation sadly skewed the regulation totally in favor of caregivers. It is completely  lob-sided since it does not provide protection for employers from ABUSIVE CAREGIVERS who continue to abuse Canada's and its citizens' generosity. Such unscrupulous workers change employers within months citing 'abuse' or 'being uncomfortable' while masking the real underlying reasons such as wanting to move to a larger city, being close to friends/family. Clearly, they fooled their sponsoring employers during their initial interviews as to their real intent. The caregiver walks; the employer is left scrambling to find help else misses work to stay home, and with the caregiver goes the money the employer paid as recruitment fee and air fare which could add up to as much as $5000 or more.

The Federal Government - Minister Jason kenney - in its quest to woo minorities as a sizeable vote bank overlooked the employer, who has just NO RECOURSE to recover the expense for wrongful resignation. If you want to sue the shady caregiver, there is no way to access her new address as Service Canada will not provide it to you. The odds are totally stacked against you. The federal gov't equated  you with corporate/business employers (major users of  temporary foreign worker program) and thought you, the working class employer, had the same deep pockets as the corporate employers and therefore you too would easily absorb the expense that the shareholders of businesses do would without impacting individual pockets.

WE ASK THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT TO REDRESS THE IMBALANCE BY PROVIDING THE AGGREIVED EMPLOYERS MECHANISMS TO REPORT ABUSE BY SHADY CAREGIVERS AND RECOVER THE COSTS RESULTING FROM WRONGFUL RESIGNATIONS.