Perhaps even more disturbing than the allegations that MP Ruby Dhalla may have mistreated two foreign live-in caregivers, is the apparent lack of initiative taken by two Ontario Ministers when the nannies finally worked up enough courage to voice their complaints.
Star reporter Dale Brazeo explains:
…The meeting was held by provincial Education Minister Kathleen Wynne and Labour Minister Peter Fonseca after a Star investigation exposed widespread abuse in a program that allows Canadians to hire foreign caregivers to look after children, the elderly or people with disabilities.
Prompted by Wynne to speak their minds, nanny Gordo stood up and accused Dhalla, MP for Brampton-Springdale, of holding her passport and refusing to pay her when she quit.
“Seeing (Wynne) up there asking us to be strong and stand up for our rights, I had a flash of what happened to me and I decided to speak out,” said Gordo, adding she admitted to the politicians she worked “illegally” at the Dhalla household without a work permit.
The Star learned of the allegations and began its own probe…
However their concerns seemed to fall on deaf ears. Jim Coyle says it so well:
…Yesterday, (Labour Minister Peter) Fonseca turned in a hapless performance, saying that story was just one of many disturbing tales heard that night, that it was enough the provincial government had set up a 1-800 line for reporting such matters and that employment fact sheets were distributed.
The province can be grateful, one supposes, no one reported a burning building to the minister. He might have responded with a dissertation on the origins of fire…
As Coyle points out, it’s rather ironic considering how Wynne lectures on the importance of intervention regarding bullying in schools.
Yesterday in the Ontario Legislature, the opposition parties understandably took the Government to task, with Tory MPP Lisa MacLeod stating that Minister Fonseca should have immediately reported the claims to the appropriate authorities and added, “Minister, you don’t get to pick and choose who abides and who breaks your laws…”
Macleod is calling for his resignation. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath seems to agree saying that instead of posing for a photo op, Fonseca should have immediately been taking action regarding the allegations.
Fonseca tried to deflect the blame to Jason Kenney: (Globe) (H/T Anne in swON)
…During Question Period, Mr. Fonseca pointed the finger of blame at federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, accusing him of ignoring his pleas to fix Canada’s “completely broken” live-in, caregiver program. He said he spoke to Mr. Kenney after he heard the caregivers’ stories, and told him about the shortcomings in the program.
I said “Take some national leadership on this, fix your program,” Mr. Fonseca said.
But his attempt to deflect the matter backfired slightly, when Mr. Kenney’s office sent an e-mail during Question Period to Ontario MPP Lisa MacLeod, to set the record straight.
“If there is any confusion, Minister Fonseca has never raised the issue of Magdalene Gordo and Richelyn Tongson with Minister Kenney,” according to the briefing notes. “Nor has he or his staff raised it with Immigration … officials. Fonseca spoke to Kenney a month ago to talk about the program generally; they haven’t spoken since and he’s never discussed the case with us or our officials.”
So someone is lying.
Meanwhile, Dalton McGuinty tries to sweep this under the rug, saying that it is “a perception issue” according to Jim Coyle, and that the two Ministers should be excused because they were just “so focused on doing their job…”
If this is an example of how Liberal Ministers stay ‘focused on their jobs’, then Ontario is in a lot more trouble than I suspected.
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Update
Russ Campbell wants some answers:
…Is this not a deliberate attempt on the part of Labour Minister Peter Fonseca to deceive the Legislature? And is there not a scrap of honour to be found within the Liberal caucus, who to a person offered not the mildest censure of Mr. Fonseca’s behaviour?
It all boils down to a matter of trust and credibility. And I don’t think the McGuinty Government has much of that left now.
Dhalla wants review of allegations against her – Edmonton Sun (H/T Maz2)
From the National Post - “In no way shape or form has my sister been involved,” Neil Dhalla said in a statement from May 1. “I hope my family and I are not being used as a scapegoat to deflect attention from their possible misrepresentations and any current legal difficulties that these live-in caregivers may be facing.”