Not One of the Family : Foreign Domestic Workers in Canada

In Not One of the Family, workers-turned-activists and experts on foreign domestic workers document how the Canadian system has institutionalized unequal treatment of citizen and non-citizen workers. Since the 1940s rights of citizenship for immigrant domestic workers in Canada have declined, while the number of women recruited from Third World countries to work in Canadian homes has dramatically increased. The analysis in Not One of the Family is both theoretical and practical, framing ideologies of privacy, maternalism, familialism, and rights, as well as examining government policy, labour organizing, and strategies to resist exploitation. A key resource for all centres for women and immigrant workers, Not The essays in this collection are brought together as part of a larger study directed by the editors on immigrant women and the role of North-South relations, race, gender, and class in constructing citizenship. This study has been made possible through the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The support of a number of organizations and individuals has been invaluable in the completion of this volume. We are grateful to Virgil Duff, executive editor at the University of Toronto Press, and to Bill Wood, our manuscript editor, for their invaluable assistance in preparing the manuscript for publication; to Wayne Daniels, for preparing the index; to Felicita Villasin, director of INTER-CEDE, for her support of this collection and our larger project; to Linda MacDougall, senior policy advisor at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, for making crucial data available to us when needed; and to the helpful comments provided by two anonymous readers. Maureen Rice provided impeccable research assistance in enabling us to complete the manuscript. While in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore, conducting research in the spring of 1995, we were welcomed into the homes and offices of numerous activists fighting for the rights of Filipino women migrants. Particular thanks are owed to Gabriela, Migrante, Batis, BAYAN, Kanlungan, and the family of the late Flor Contemplacion, to the memory of whom this book is dedicated. We are particularly indebted to Pura Velasco, who blazed a path for us through her home country of the Philippines as our guide, interpreter, and organizer. She helped us gain a glimpse into the world that so many domestic workers here in Canada have left behind in hopes of building a better future. The support of the Philippines Solidarity Group and the Coalition for the Defense of Migrant Workers' Rights in Canada, in which Pura is an active member, has also greatly facilitated the research for this book. We are immensely grateful to Paul Kellogg and Radha Jhappan, whose support of our work has been substantial, constant, and unconditional. In Not One Of The Family, Workers-turned-activists And Experts On Foreign Domestic Workers Document How The Canadian System Has Institutionalized Unequal Treatment Of Citizen And Non-citizen Workers. Since The 1940s Rights Of Citizenship For Immigrant Domestic Workers In Canada Have Declined, While The Number Of Women Recruited From Third World Countries To Work In Canadian Homes Has Dramatically Increased. The Analysis Is Not One Of The Family Is Both Theoretical And Practical, Framing Ideologies Of Privacy, Maternalism, Familialism, And Rights, As Well As Examining Government Policy, Labour Organizing, And Strategies To Resist Exploitation. A Key Resource For All Centres For Women And Immigrant Workers, Not One Of The Family Is Also Essential Reading For Civil Rights And Immigration Lawyers, Labour Groups, And Government Policy Makers.--jacket. Introduction / Abigail B. Bakan And Daiva Stasiulis -- Foreign Domestic Worker Policy In Canada And The Social Boundaries Of Modern Citizenship / Abigail B. Bakan And Daiva Stasiulis -- From Mothers Of The Nation To Migrant Workers / Sedef Arat-koc -- An Affair Between Nations : International Relations And The Movement Of Household Service Workers / Patricia M. Daenzer -- Little Victories And Big Defeats : The Rise And Fall Of Collective Bargaining Rights For Domestic Workers In Ontario / Judy Fudge -- The Work At Home Is Not Recognized : Organizing Domestic Workers In Montreal / Miriam Elvir -- We Can Still Fight Back : Organizing Domestic Workers In Toronto / Pura M. Velasco. Edited By Abigail B. Bakan And Daiva Stasiulis. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [165]-178) And Index.

In Not One of the Family, experts on foreign domestic workers and workers-turned-activists document how the Canadian system has institutionalized unequal treatment of citizen and non-citizen workers. Since the 1940s, rights of citizenship for immigrant domestic workers in Canada have declined while the number of women recruited from Third World countries to work in Canadian homes has dramatically increased. The analysis in Not One of the Family is both theoretical to the practical, framing ideologies of privacy, maternalism, familialism, and rights, as well as examining government policy, labour organizing, and strategies to resist exploitation.

A key resource for all centres for women and immigrant workers, Not One of the Family is also essential reading for civil rights and immigration lawyers, labour groups, and government policy makers.

In Not One of the Family , experts on foreign domestic workers and workers-turned-activists document how the Canadian system has institutionalized unequal treatment of citizen and non-citizen workers. Since the 1940s, rights of citizenship for immigrant domestic workers in Canada have declined while the number of women recruited from Third World countries to work in Canadian homes has dramatically increased. The analysis in Not One of the Family is both theoretical to the practical, framing ideologies of privacy, maternalism, familialism, and rights, as well as examining government policy, labour organizing, and strategies to resist exploitation. A key resource for all centres for women and immigrant workers, Not One of the Family is also essential reading for civil rights and immigration lawyers, labour groups, and government policy makers. Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Contributors 11 Introduction 15 1. Foreign Domestic Worker Policy in Canada and the Social Boundaries of Modern Citizenship 41 2. From ‘Mothers of the Nation’ to Migrant Workers 65 3. An Affair between Nations: International Relations and the Movement of Household Service Workers 93 4. Little Victories and Big Defeats: The Rise and Fall of Collective Bargaining Rights for Domestic Workers in Ontario 131 5. ‘The Work at Home Is Not Recognized’: Organizing Domestic Workers in Montreal 159 6. ‘We Can Still Fight Back’: Organizing Domestic Workers in Toronto 169 References 177 Index 191 A collection of original essays by researchers and workers-turned-activists, it documents how citizen and non-citizen workers are treated unequally in the Canadian system and demonstrates how workers can resist exploitation.