When Joelina Maluto and Grace Gallego came to work as live-in caregivers in Canada, they expected a better life. Instead, the two women had to deal with an agency that demanded a $5,000 recruitment fee in spite of the fact that the jobs they were promised no longer existed.

Eleven o’clock Tuesday morning at the Workers’ Action Centre. Media and supporters are jam-packed into a room to listen to representatives of the newly formed Caregivers Action Centre, comprised of former and current caregivers working for change in Temporary Foreign Worker programs including the Live-In Caregiver Program and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.