Migrant Justice Perspectives on Home Care


Mary Jean Hande, Trent University

Im/migrants make up the rapidly growing majority of home care workers in Canada. Their labour and organizing has enabled older Canadians to age and place, pushed for progressive legislative changes, and expanded the possibilities of good and just care for disabled people. Yet these workers are often pitted against the interests of home care receivers and their perspectives on home care transformation are often sidelined in home care policy and advocacy. This presentation explores migrant justice perspectives on home care from participatory research projects in two Canadian provinces. The first project, “Justice for Im/migrant Home Care Workers in Manitoba,” partnered with Migrante Manitoba to explore im/migrant home care workers’ employment relations and care activism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second project “Towards Just Care,” partnered with the Disability Justice Network of Ontario to develop “power maps” of Ontario home care systems, and convene a visioning workshop with im/migrant home care workers and low-income home care receivers. This workshop enabled home care workers and receivers to develop coalitions and shared visions for home care transformation. The presentation concludes with reflections on how these migrant justice perspectives expand the possibilities for home care coalitions and care activism in Canada.

This paper will be presented at the following session: