The explosion in popularity of Canada’s live-in caregiver program has had a profound impact on Canada’s demographics: the Philippines is now our number-one immigration source country. And yet the growth of the Filipino community, which numbers 450,000, has not generated the same kindof academic or media scrutiny as that of the Chinese or South Asian. This is in part because Filipinos are less visible and do not cluster in enclaves, although their presence can be felt through the hundreds of ethnic associations they have formed, and through the many grocery shops that now cater to them, offering everything from money-wiring services to pancit noodles.
In spite of their numerical strength, little research has been carried out to investigate how this community is doing, and how the live-in care- giver program actually works over time, what are its benefits and drawbacks.
Geraldine Pratt’s fascinating Families Apart: Migrant Mothers and the Conflicts of...
Marina Jimenez is an editorial writer at The Globe and Mail and has written extensively about immigration issues, including the live-in caregiver program. She is also the grateful employer of a part-time Filipina nanny.
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