RP-trained nurses hired as domestic helpers in Canada

A significant number of Filipino domestic helpers in Canada are nurses from the Philippines who were forced to leave the country for greener pastures overseas but some end up being exploited, according to a leader of a non-government organization based in Quebec. “There has been a majority of domestic helpers going to Canada who are nurses, “said Joane Vasquez, of the Filipino Nurses Support Group-Quebec (FSNG-Quebec) and chair of the Philippine Women’s Center of Quebec. According to Vasquez, about 96 percent of domestic helpers in Canada are Filipinos, and most of them are nurses from the Philippines. The group receives report that Filipino nurses working as domestic helpers there are being exploited. Vasquez said that domestic helpers are paid eight Canadian dollars an hour. A professional nurse receives an average wage of C$25 per hour. “They are being extremely exploited as caregivers, “said Vasquez, who is in the country to help raise awareness to the plight of Filipino nurses in Canada. Vasquez, whose mother migrated their family to Canada in the 1960s as a nurse, said that the Canadian government is more lax to the immigration status of Filipinos working there as domestic helpers. Other Filipino nurses also avail of the caregiver program where they are said to be “de-skilled." “They have been studying for four years as nurses and they will just work as domestic helpers in Canada," said Vasquez. Aside from this, even if Filipino nurses pass the board exam, under their working contract, they cannot practice the profession. Domestic helpers there need to complete 24 months of domestic work under one employer. They also have to stay at home with the same employer over the same period. About 16,000 Canadian dollars are paid annually to a Filipino domestic worker in Canada while as a nurse, one can earn up to 50,000 Canadian dollars per year. “These women are keeping the economy afloat," Vasquez said after giving a talk on women migration in the recently concluded Women’s International Solidarity Affairs in Manila. She has also called on the government to re-direct its military funding to social services and education. Lobbying in Canada FNSG was launched last month to respond to the “urgent need for Philippine-trained nurses in Quebec to primarily lobby to the Canadian government to allow them to practice their profession. “Nurses from the Philippines become stuck in low income jobs as live-in caregivers and home support workers while governments fail to tap into an available resource during a time of nursing shortages," said Cecilia Diocson, Chair of the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC), and a Filipino-Canadian nurse pioneer who helped found the Vancouver-based FNSG. The FNSG, which has chapters in some Canadian provinces, hopes to address barriers that Filipino nurses face amid strains on Canada’s health care system and nursing workforce. The group is composed of pioneer, nurses-turned-caregivers, and second-generation nurses of Philippine origin. In a recent meeting in Montreal, the group’s leaders traced how today's global migration is influenced by the growing migration trend of highly-skilled and professional workers under various categories, especially health care workers who are mainly women such as nurses, hospital aides, and caregivers. "While similar problems hit Filipino nurses across Canada, there are particular challenges that our fellow Filipino nurses in Quebec face due to immigration and provincial accreditation policies, including language proficiency tests," Diocson said. "We have a rich history of research, advocacy, and community building work for Philippine-trained nurses in British Columbia (BC) that FNSG – Quebec can learn from, especially given the nationwide lack of nurses and health care crisis hitting hospitals and communities throughout Canada," she added. Members of the Quebec chapter took turns sharing their extensive nursing work experience in other countries, including academic achievements in a Commonwealth country prior to coming to Canada. One of them talked about non-payment of her full wages and harsh working conditions under the LCP, which have caused psychological stress and burn scars on her arms. These nurses have been unable to get their accreditation in Quebec and are presently stuck in menial jobs or working in areas that are unrelated to their skills and training. These are stories repeated over and over again throughout the Filipino-Canadian community, noted Bernadette Baltazar of the FNSG-Quebec. "In Vancouver, FNSG has been providing nurse accreditation services and community-based education to Filipino nurses since 1995 which have assisted over 200 to successfully become registered as nurses in BC," said Sheila Farrales. "But instead of obtaining assistance and recognition from government, community organizations like FNSG are subjected to systemic racism and discrimination," she narrated. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV