General

Federal government tightens rules for nannies, foreign workers

New regulations aim to protect workers from exploitation

Effective April 1, 2011, the federal government will apply a more rigorous assessment of regulations affecting live-in caregivers and temporary foreign workers, as well as the people who hire them. The assessment will consider whether employers have followed the rules in the past before they can hire a nanny or temporary foreign worker, and a bad track record could lead to a two-year prohibition on hiring foreign workers. According to the federal government, consultations held over the past two years revealed that employers were exploiting some live-in caregivers because the system made them vulnerable. The first round of changes took place in April 2010, and mandated that employment contracts must spell out wages, benefits, accommodation, duties, hours of work, and holiday and sick leave entitlements.

CBC News

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