A Pinay caregiver’s dying wish to stay in Canada

MANILA, Philippines - Juana Tejada may only have five years left to live but Canada’s immigration wants her out of the country in two months. Juana, 38, a live-in caregiver, has been dying of stage 4 lung cancer, a disease that crawled from her colon some two years ago. Because of her condition, Juana will be forced to return to the country when her work permit expires in August, reported the online version of the Toronto Star. Juana was lured to work in Canada in 2003 under the Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP), which grants foreign workers permanent residency— and an opportunity to petition their entire family — upon fulfillment of their three-year assignment as well as necessary medical and criminal clearances. But when doctors discovered her illness during a routine medical check-up in 2006, Juana learned the bad news: she only had a five percent chance of surviving cancer after five years. Determined to give her family a better life, Juana appealed to waive the good-health requirement for humanitarian reasons. Her petition was denied twice. After being forced to quit her job, Juana has been living in disability assistance which according to the report, is one factor that has worked against her petition to remain in Canada. Juana is seen as a burden to the country’s health-care system. "I have paid my dues to earn my permanent residency. I have worked hard to try to give my family a better life," Juana told the Toronto Star in an interview. "I didn't want to have cancer. It is not my fault," she added. The Toronto Star quoted a case processing officer in Alberta saying that while they sympathize with Juana’s condition, it is not enough to warrant an exemption. "In the opinion of a medical officer, this health condition might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health and social services," the officer wrote in a letter to Juana. Canada is one of the top destination countries of Filipino health care workers along with the United Kingdom and Ireland. The country had always been known to be lenient to foreign workers, and has even encouraged them to permanently stay with their family after fulfilling their contracts for some time. ’Let her stay and die in Canada’ Juana’s plight has attracted the media’s attention in Canada. Canadian journalist, Joe Fiorito compared Juana’s plight and that of Corey Glass, an American soldier. Glass and others like him sought refuge in Canada after refusing to fight in the Iraq war. Fiorito said that while Canada’s House of Commons approved a motion allowing Corey and others like him to remain in Canada as permanent residents, the government is "kicking Juana Tejada out of Toronto" and "sending her home to die." "She must go. He might stay. There was no motion in Parliament for her. Why the hell not? Is it race? Is it class? Is it gender?" asked Fiorito. In his column piece entitled, 'Our nanny state, save for nannies,' Fiorito further said: "We live in one of the richest countries in the world. We have the resources to aid a dying woman who came here at our request. She earned her way, and she earned the right." "Our wealth is not the point. The question is this – and it applies equally to the soldier and the nanny – when in the history of the world has generosity of spirit and nobility of purpose ever been a bad idea?" "Corey Glass is safe until the end of July, and quite possibly much longer. Juana Tejada must go home by Aug. 8. Her future is sadly certain." Her case also prompted Mila and Oswaldo Magno, both Filipinos, to launch an online petition addressed to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Allow Tejada to stay - and die - in Canada," said in the petition that have garnered almost 1,300 signatures as of Thursday afternoon. Fellow Filipinos as well as foreigners have also registered their support to Juana. "How could the Canada government, turn it's back to this woman who abandoned her own country and family in order for your people to be able to help contribute for the economic growth of your country?" commented Gayle San Mateo from Canada. "Is she harmful to your people? Had she done criminal acts that would lead your government to kick her out of your country?" she added. - GMANews.TV