Many OFWs and other foreign workers in Canada have lost their jobs or were not accepted in the ones they had long applied for because of changes in policies, due to various reasons but mostly because many Canadians feel that these workers are encroaching on their territory and “stealing” their jobs.
This is a sad reality that foreign workers have to deal with in Canada and even in other places, such as the US and in some European countries yet there are those people who are willing to defend these workers, knowing and understanding just how valuable they are.
One perfect example is Steven Hill, a Canadian who previously worked in oil rigs but is now working as driver in a long haul truck through Saskatchewan and Alberta. He has experienced firsthand how it is to enter a shop for food or other needs, only to be asked to patiently wait because the establishment does not have enough workers to serve all the customers.
This did not just happen in one place but across his route, leading him to write a heartfelt open letter he posted on Facebook – and it quickly went viral! He narrated how, in his long years of plying the roads, he met a long of diverse people from different cultures, people he believes are hard-working yet they were laid off because of the new policy.
Hill admonishes those who believe these foreign workers have no right to work in Canada because they are “stealing” jobs from Canadians – when in reality, there are plenty of jobs that many Canadians do not actually like to work in, anyway. This is mainly the reason why many of the stores along his route are short of staff!
Here’s Hill’s letter:
September-9-2015For anyone who doesn’t know with the current price of oil I am no longer working on the oil rigs and I…
Posted by Steven Hill on Wednesday, September 9, 2015
What is an OFW?
The term “OFW” simply means an overseas Filipino worker. There are currently around 13.5 million OFWs working across the world, not just in Canada and the US but in almost all countries on Earth!
Almost 3.5 million OFWs are in the US, 1.25 million in Saudi Arabia, and 930k in the UAE. Around 850k OFWs are in Canada while rest are in countries such as Malaysia (680k), Australia (390k), Japan (240k), UK (220k), and other areas of the world.
Contrary to popular belief (in other countries) that OFWs are mostly skilled workers (welders and construction workers) or those working as domestic helpers and factory workers, there are thousands who are also working in white collar jobs, such as IT professionals, nurses, physical therapists, doctors, and office workers.
Featured photo credit: Facebook/Steven Hill