Progressive Filipino Canadians call on all Canadians to make their vote count towards genuine democracy
Congress of Progressive Filipino Canadians
National Statement
April 28, 2011

The Congress of Progressive Filipino Canadians (CPFC) encourages all working class Canadians, before stepping into the voting booth on May 2nd, to cast aside the talking heads on television and examine their own conditions as workers in this country. Rather than getting caught up in the scandals of the political elite, we must go back and examine our struggle in this period of economic crisis. Among other paramount issues, it is necessary to examine the cutbacks to settlement funding, the reduction of sponsorship for parents and grandparents and the continued privatization of healthcare, childcare, eldercare and care for people with disabilities. During this election, we must pay critical attention to the underlying motive of neoliberalism that runs through each platform.

While economists and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have argued that Canada is a world leader in recovering from the economic crisis, we must look back and recognize the government cutbacks and austerity measures that have been made at our expense. Since the beginning of the year, the Federal government has cut $53 million from settlement services. Meanwhile, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Minister Jason Kenney proudly announced record-breaking entry numbers of immigrants into Canada: over 280,636 immigrants, with equally staggering recruitment numbers of 182,322 temporary foreign workers and 7,661 live-in caregivers. However, family sponsorship for parents and grandparents were drastically cut, with a drop of almost 5,000 from 2006 to 2010. As Kenny’s unabashed pronouncement of the roll-out of the government’s neoliberal agenda, he bluntly stated that “We need more newcomers working, paying taxes and contributing to our healthcare system.”

For the CPFC, a “strong economy” in a country that prides itself as a champion of human rights should not depend on the cheap labour of workers from the Global South who are legislated to work under exploitative and oppressive conditions. It is a hypocrisy to welcome immigrants into a country while eliminating funding for their successful integration and hindering their ability to reunite with their loved ones. What this government and its political parties have failed to mention is that we are not out of the economic crisis, and the push for contractualization, deregulation and privatization is the real platform on the table, as blatantly apparent in strategies on immigration, labour and healthcare.

Today, Canadians take pride in “Tommy” Douglas’ contribution of universal healthcare. Though several decades have passed since, very few leaps have been made with the healthcare system. With all political platforms out in the open, it is clear that the government does not want to take responsibility for the increasing elderly population and the serious need for a national childcare strategy. Using the terms “family care” and “caregiving,” all the mainstream political parties have tried to fool Canadians into believing that real improvements will be made. The Conservatives argue that “respecting” Canadian’s rights to choose their own means of childcare merits $1,200 a year for a child under six (Universal Child Care Benefit) and $2,000 dollars a year for a child under 18 (Child Tax Benefit). They also believe providing a Family Caregiver Tax Credit of $2,000 will be enough for family members to take care of their elderly and sick loved ones.

Similarly, the Liberals and New Democrats have no real strategy, as they are only either adding benefits or credit variations of their own. According to the Liberals, 2.7 million Canadians provide care for seniors and family caregivers provide 80% of homecare services, which total to about $9 billion dollars in unpaid work. While the Liberals have promised $1 billion in a Family Care Employment Insurance Benefit and a Family Care Tax Benefit for up to $1,350, the New Democrats have matched this with an offer to extend the Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefit to six months as well as creating a Caregiver Benefit ($1,500 per year). While government officials boast of setting records and being leaders, the real picture in Canada is that care giving is a sector that is completely neglected. What these political parties have given are platforms that are merely a patchwork of benefits and credits that are short-term strategies to deal with a serious long-term concern.

While much is mentioned about family care, nothing has been said about the Canadian government’s de facto national childcare program of the Live-In Caregiver Program (97% of participants being Filipino women) – a violent program that continues to marginalize and deskill the Filipino Canadian community. It has never been mentioned in any campaign, but continues to be a cheap substitute for eldercare, childcare and care for people with disabilities in this country.

The direction Canada is moving into is a neoliberal future: it is a highly dependent and unstable economy fuelled and maintained by, but not limited to, the cheap labour of the Global South, the continued privatization of public services and assets, and the exploitation of Canadian workers. May 2nd is not just another election – it also provides Canadians another glimpse of the neoliberal agenda. Based on their platforms, it is clear that the mainstream parties would provide little change in Canada’s overall direction. Now more than ever, it is crucial for the working class and the workers from the South to awaken and exercise their democratic rights even after the elections. Democracy does not stop after May 2nd, and as such, CPFC will continue to expose and oppose neoliberalism in all its forms and will strongly move forward to advance the struggle of the working class in Canada.

Watch the promo vid! Take action through SIKLAB-ON and UKPC-ON’s upcoming event, “Advance the Working Class Struggle,” April 30, 2-5pm @ OISE 5280: https://magkaisacentre.org/2011/04/11/working-class-struggle/

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For more information, contact:
Joy C . Sioson
(416) 519-2553
pwc-on@magkaisacentre.org
www.magkaisacentre.org