The government of Canada announced that it is implementing stricter regulations with the aim of further improving the working conditions for temporary workers and live-in caregivers in Canada.
According to the federal government, consultations held over the past two years revealed that employers were exploiting some live-in caregivers because the system made them vulnerable. To address this, the federal government is tightening the regulations affecting live-in caregivers and temporary foreign workers, as well as the people who hire them. “The government is taking action to protect temporary foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, from potential abuse and exploitation,” said Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney.
Employers found to have violated worker rights may also be refused authorization to hire a foreign worker under the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that will come into effect on April 1, 2011.
Highlights of the changes include:
- a more rigorous assessment of the genuineness of the job offer which must now specify wages, benefits, accommodation, duties, hours of work, and holiday and sick leave entitlements.
- a two-year prohibition from hiring temporary foreign workers for employers who fail to meet their commitments to workers with respect to wages, working conditions and occupation; and
- a limit on the length of time a temporary foreign worker may work in Canada before returning home.
For further information visit the Citizenship & Immigration Canada Website at: