19 January 2011- The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that Ambassador Leslie B. Gatan met with Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney last January 16 to discuss labor and immigration issues directly affecting Filipino workers and migrants streaming into Canada.
It was an occasion to thank the Minister for his continuing efforts to implement and improve policies and to help ease the integration of foreign workers into Canadian society.Since 2010, Filipino temporary workers have comprised the biggest number of foreign temporary workers that have entered the country through the Live-in Caregivers Program and the Provincial Nominee Program being implemented by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
Minister Kenney promised to seriously consider lending his support to the twin proposals of the Philippines to establish a mechanism for continued dialogue through a Joint Commission on Bilateral Consultations (JCBC) and institutionalizing worker protection through a Philippines-Canada labor cooperation agreement. END