(27 May 2009) The Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance's 12th Annual Roots, Rhymes and Resistance evening of cultural expression. Over 200 Filipino-Canadian youth and community members joined this year's evening held under the theme "Root Down, Rise Up!". The annual event is part of Vancouver's Asian Heritage Month activities. Click here for more photos.

Root Down, Rise Up: Consciousness Raised with Cultural Roots Firmly Planted -- Filipino Youth Hold Successful 12th Annual Cultural Event, “Roots, Rhymes & Resistance” (June 18, 2009)

End Dependence: Filipinos in Canada Call for Genuine Independence, Settlement and Entitlement (June 12, 2009)

Canadians and Filipino-Canadians express solidarity with Tamil people and community:Justice for the victims of state violence in Sri Lanka; Uphold communities' right to build people-to-people solidarity in Canada! (May 29, 2009)

KALAYAAN CENTRE ARCHIVES 2009> May > March > February > January >> 2008 >> 2007>>2006 >> 2005

20 May 2009

National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada
Press release

Scrap Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program: End violence against Filipino women!

As progressive Filipino-Canadian women, the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) once again calls for the scrapping of the racist and anti-woman Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).  We hold the federal government, through its Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Minister Jason Kenney, accountable for maintaining modern-day slavery in Canada and in perpetuating racism and violence against women.

For a country that basks in the reputation as a champion of human rights and women’s equality, Canada clearly fails to uphold the fundamental human rights of live-in caregivers and instead facilitates state violence against these women and the Filipino-Canadian community.  While Canada continues to recruit live-in caregivers, 96% from the Philippines, to provide care for children, people with disabilities and the elderly of middle and upper-class Canadian families, Canada is unwilling to provide necessary protection to this group of women and turns a blind eye to the numerous and worsening cases of abuse and neglect perpetuated by this program.

At the height of the series of exposes on the abuses under the federal government’s live-in caregiver program (LCP), Minister Kenney denies the structural violence that is inherent in this program and justified it to be a “valuable program” in a radio interview with CBC’s “The Current” last May 8, 2009.

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Articles from some of the speakers at the "Laws, Labels and Liberation" conference (09/06/04)

click here to see list of available conference documents