Neo-Liberal Policies and Immigrant Women in Canada

Under neo-liberalism, commodification has emerged as a major issue of concern for those studying immigration and immigrants. The term ‘commodification’ refers to market relations where services are bought and sold. According to Burke, commodification under neo-liberalism shows ‘an increasing reliance on the market’ for the financing or delivery of services (Burke, 2000: 180). This is certainly true for Canada, where both federal and provincial governments increasingly rely on the global market for a constant supply of domestics, especially from the Philippines, for childcare and eldercare financed by private employers. Social democrats expect domestics’ work to be a regulated arena. However, in Canada the absence of government regulations as well as the lack of private bonds and obligations has created an unregulated, neglected area where labourers are mostly at the mercy of their employers. Immigration statistics from 2001 show that under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), about 4,000 workers entered Canada in 2000. The Vancouver Philippine Women Centre newsletter brings this statistic to life: ‘As of 1996, there were over 50,000 Filipino women in Canada who entered as domestic workers under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). Over 6,000 of these women work in the Lower Mainland area and most are between the ages of 20–35 with at least a two-year university level education’ (The Centre Update, 1996: 1–2).

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