ORAL HISTORY: Yusuf Bulbulia INTERPRETIVE TEAM: Serena Ypelaar, Selin Kahramanoglu, Christopher Dillon.

Keep Moving Forward

In 2004, Pinky Paglingayen arrived in Toronto through Canada’s Live-In Caregiver Program. Through this program, Pinky immigrated through an employer’s sponsorship, but once she entered Canada, she was suddenly “released upon arrival”.  To stay in Canada, Pinky had to find work and a new employer to sponsor her. In three years, Pinky completed the 24 months with different employers. With her last employment, Pinky experienced discrimination, verbal abuse, and mistreatment when she was caring for the children of her employers. The Canadian immigration system was not able to protect her rights as a temporary foreign worker, sparking her inspiration and determination for its improvement. After further education, Pinky joined the settlement sector to push for fundamental changes to the immigration system and to improve the rights of migrant workers. In 2010, Pinky spoke at the United Way and raised important issues about immigrant rights and opportunities. Currently, Pinky uses these experiences and works with other organizations to create a better caregiver program.