my press con talk
Welcome everyone. Thank you all for joining us this morning.
My name is Josie Caro and I am speaking on behalf of the Philippine Women Centre of Quebec.
We, the Filipino women of Quebec, are concerned about the safety and well-being of our children. I personally met with “Tina” on August 31, only a few days after she had been harassed and brutalised by two Montreal police officers from Station 25. Listening to her testimony, I observed that she was not just a child who was hurt by police officials, she was a Filipino immigrant child, a daughter of working class parents, and a brave young woman of colour who was not afraid to stand up and demand that her rights be respected.
In Quebec, 60% of Filipinos are women. One of the major factors for this demographic is the large number of women coming to Canada under the Live-In Caregiver Program (or LCP) - an initiative of Citizenship and Immigration Canada which gives women a temporary workers visa while they work for 24 months, living in their employer’s house, (it’s mandatory), doing domestic work and caring for young children, the elderly or the disabled. Due to the live-in nature of the work, these women are forced to leave their families behind in the Philippines and it is only after several years of hard work for very little pay - several years in which papers are to be processed and exhorbitant immigration fees are paid - that they may be reunited.
As I mentioned earlier, the Filipino women of Quebec are concerned about the welfare of their children. Because of the conditions in the Philippines, women must leave their home in order to support their families. Although they make only minimum wage (much less if you consider they are providing 24 hour home support) , they send a large portion of that back home, driving them into deeper and deeper poverty.
Filipinos make up 17% of the population of Cote-des-Neiges. In fact, 61% of all Filipinos in Quebec live in the Cote-des-Neiges area. They are low income families. While Filipinos are among some the most highest educated people in Canada, they receive lower than average income. Nurses and teachers from the Philippines are working as nannies and caregivers for less than minimum wage. Children are separated from their mothers for years at a time - the average in BC was five years separation. Imagine your mother leaving to work when you are 6 years old, and only being able to reunite with her at age 11. This is the reality of the Filipino community in Quebec. This Live-in Caregiver program, implemented by the Canadian government is one of the major factors in the economic marginalization of Filipino families, in the relationship difficulties experienced between Filipino youth and their mothers and ultimately, in the so-called delinquency of our youth who spend time on the streets rather than in their perhaps tension-filled homes.
But Montreal Police, particularly those in the Cote-des-Neiges area do not see these youth as victims of a system that marginalizes a community. Instead, they see trouble makers, delinquents and kids who are not deserving of respect.
Tina is not a delinquent. She is a sweet 17 year old girl who happened to be sitting in Van Horne park, waiting for her older sister to come meet her so they could go home. She is a daughter of a former live-in Caregiver, the second oldest in a family of seven, living in a two-bedroom apartment in Cote-st-Luc. She was a young woman of colour, a young Filipino woman who was targeted by Montreal police because of her colour and who had the gall to ask, “What did I do wrong?”
And because of this, she was grabbed forcefully, she was pushed to the ground with her face in the dirt, and when they put her in the car, they slammed the door on her foot? She had been sitting in that park, feeling safe and secure that police officers were patrolling the area. How could she have foreseen that she would be leaving the park bruises on her arm, and a humiliated and broken spirit.
As Filipino women of Quebec, we are outraged by the racist, ignorant and disrespectful behaviour of the two Montreal police officers from Station 25. This brutal attack on a 17 year old girl, a Filipino girl, and a daughter of working class immigrant parents, is another reflection of how the Canadian government suppresses the development of women of colour. We, the Filipino women of Quebec, alongside other Filipinos, demand a public apology from the Montreal police force. We will not stop until Tina gets the respect that she deserves.
My name is Josie Caro and I am speaking on behalf of the Philippine Women Centre of Quebec.
We, the Filipino women of Quebec, are concerned about the safety and well-being of our children. I personally met with “Tina” on August 31, only a few days after she had been harassed and brutalised by two Montreal police officers from Station 25. Listening to her testimony, I observed that she was not just a child who was hurt by police officials, she was a Filipino immigrant child, a daughter of working class parents, and a brave young woman of colour who was not afraid to stand up and demand that her rights be respected.
In Quebec, 60% of Filipinos are women. One of the major factors for this demographic is the large number of women coming to Canada under the Live-In Caregiver Program (or LCP) - an initiative of Citizenship and Immigration Canada which gives women a temporary workers visa while they work for 24 months, living in their employer’s house, (it’s mandatory), doing domestic work and caring for young children, the elderly or the disabled. Due to the live-in nature of the work, these women are forced to leave their families behind in the Philippines and it is only after several years of hard work for very little pay - several years in which papers are to be processed and exhorbitant immigration fees are paid - that they may be reunited.
As I mentioned earlier, the Filipino women of Quebec are concerned about the welfare of their children. Because of the conditions in the Philippines, women must leave their home in order to support their families. Although they make only minimum wage (much less if you consider they are providing 24 hour home support) , they send a large portion of that back home, driving them into deeper and deeper poverty.
Filipinos make up 17% of the population of Cote-des-Neiges. In fact, 61% of all Filipinos in Quebec live in the Cote-des-Neiges area. They are low income families. While Filipinos are among some the most highest educated people in Canada, they receive lower than average income. Nurses and teachers from the Philippines are working as nannies and caregivers for less than minimum wage. Children are separated from their mothers for years at a time - the average in BC was five years separation. Imagine your mother leaving to work when you are 6 years old, and only being able to reunite with her at age 11. This is the reality of the Filipino community in Quebec. This Live-in Caregiver program, implemented by the Canadian government is one of the major factors in the economic marginalization of Filipino families, in the relationship difficulties experienced between Filipino youth and their mothers and ultimately, in the so-called delinquency of our youth who spend time on the streets rather than in their perhaps tension-filled homes.
But Montreal Police, particularly those in the Cote-des-Neiges area do not see these youth as victims of a system that marginalizes a community. Instead, they see trouble makers, delinquents and kids who are not deserving of respect.
Tina is not a delinquent. She is a sweet 17 year old girl who happened to be sitting in Van Horne park, waiting for her older sister to come meet her so they could go home. She is a daughter of a former live-in Caregiver, the second oldest in a family of seven, living in a two-bedroom apartment in Cote-st-Luc. She was a young woman of colour, a young Filipino woman who was targeted by Montreal police because of her colour and who had the gall to ask, “What did I do wrong?”
And because of this, she was grabbed forcefully, she was pushed to the ground with her face in the dirt, and when they put her in the car, they slammed the door on her foot? She had been sitting in that park, feeling safe and secure that police officers were patrolling the area. How could she have foreseen that she would be leaving the park bruises on her arm, and a humiliated and broken spirit.
As Filipino women of Quebec, we are outraged by the racist, ignorant and disrespectful behaviour of the two Montreal police officers from Station 25. This brutal attack on a 17 year old girl, a Filipino girl, and a daughter of working class immigrant parents, is another reflection of how the Canadian government suppresses the development of women of colour. We, the Filipino women of Quebec, alongside other Filipinos, demand a public apology from the Montreal police force. We will not stop until Tina gets the respect that she deserves.