Abstract
Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study examines the representation of live-in caregivers (LC) and the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), between 2007 and 2013, in eleven mainstream Canadian newspapers (N=32) and five Filipino-Canadian newspapers (N=31). It contributes to the extant media analyses on the LCP by including the perspective of the ethnic press, and, thus, the voices of LC, LC advocates, and members of the Filipino community. It also examines the recent hype surrounding the emergence of au pairing as a suitable caregiving option for Canadian families in light of the declining number of LC following the April 1, 2010 reforms to the LCP. This study concludes that the mainstream Canadian press portrayal of LC and their children is congruous with the "Problem Approach," while that in the ethnic newspapers is congruous with the "Agency Approach," providing a space to both empower LC and resist negative mainstream portrayals.
Highlights
Minister Kenney’s remark suggested that Canada generously grants caregivers the opportunity “be part of our Canadian family” upon completing their requisite hours. This ignores the time consuming nature of acquiring permanent residency and suggests the government is doing live-in caregivers (LC) a favor, which is debateable since the continuance of the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) means the government does not have to implement a universal childcare program
Kelsey’s nanny no longer works for her family, their nanny who is not quoted in this piece resided in Kelsey’s basement for a couple of years, she went to work for another family, and continues to babysit “because she loves the kids and wants to see them” according to Kelsey
Joyce includes the word “often” in his discussion of the separation caused by the LCP, which implies that the LCP does not “always” separate mothers from their children in spite of the structural features of the LCP: LC are not able to bring their family with them to Canada and can only sponsor family members upon completion of their requisite hours of full-time, live-in caregiving and after attaining permanent residency
Summary
Canada has relied on overseas domestic workers since the late 19th century. Childless British women were the original source of domestic workers; as demand outweighed supply, the Canadian government turned towards European women, which was followed by Caribbean women under the Caribbean Domestic Scheme of 1955. As a result of their limited access to the production of media, they remain outside of the dialogue that informs the mass media (Inouye 2007, 104) These two points highlighted the need to examine (1) the ethnic press as a corollary to the mainstream media and (2) whether and how the Filipino-Canadian newspapers and journalists challenge the mainstream newspapers’ narratives and portrayal of LC and the LCP. This inclusion is problematic because, as Blommaert and Bulcaen (2000) note, critics suggest critical discourse analysts engage in “selectivity, partiality, and prejudice in their data analysis” (455) by “cherry picking” the articles that align with their political beliefs or thesis With this being said, the Dhalla incident fell within the temporal scope of my research it was not included in this analysis because both Inouye (2007, 2012) and Gilliland (2012) examined this rather sensationalized event.
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