The welfare and protection of overseas Filipino workers in Canada will soon get a boost with a proposed law seeking to protect them from abuse.
Labor Attaché Margarita Eugenia Victorino said under the proposed legislation, a registry of employers and recruiters of temporary foreign workers in Canada composed of OFWs will be established.
“The establishment of a registry, as provided for in the proposed Temporary Foreign Workers Protection Act, or Bill 48-2018, aims to safeguard temporary foreign workers from abuse committed against them by their employer or recruiter,” Victorino said in her report to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
Under the proposed measure, the registration process of employers and workers’ recruiters will be free and available online.
The proposed measure also stipulates that any employer or recruiter who will be found violating his obligations will face revocation of license and imprisonment for a year.
Canadian Labor Minister Harry Bains earlier announced that the proposed legislation has been submitted for first reading at the British Columbia Legislature.
Consultations with all stakeholders are also expected to be held and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Vancouver has been invited to take an active part in crafting the policies and guidelines for the implementation of the law.