| Popis: |
In this article, I question the temporary/permanent divide insofar as migrant care workers’ legal entitlements are concerned with reference to the Canadian Caregiver Program, which is characterized as one of the best temporary migrant worker programs globally. I problematize the temporary/permanent distinction by critiquing the private market exchange-based relationship on the basis of which the Program is legally formulated. I argue that any caregiver program should see caregivers – irrespective of their national or foreign origin – as fully contributory members of society and thereby entitled to an extensive range of citizenship rights and entitlements. While this proposal is not completely novel, what I offer through this article is a regulatory justification for migrant caregivers’ claim to full socio-economic citizenship rights and entitlements. I develop this justification by drawing on – and reconceptualizing – the economic productivity-focused social reproduction perspective. In this article, then, I make two points: first, I propose a theoretical reconceptualization of socially reproductive work and, second, by evaluating migrant care workers’ status in Canada, I argue that on the basis of social reciprocity, caregivers cannot be considered temporary insofar as their entitlements are concerned. |
