Filipina nannies are part of the cultural fabric of almost every Canadian city.
Wander into any relatively upscale neighbourhood and you'll see scores of them. You can see the nannies on the subway, in stores and in parks, most often wheeling strollers with other people's children.
And with rare exceptions, they are pleasant and unassuming women, usually sporting small, shy smiles. Coming to Canada has been a dream realized for most; we never hear about the ones who fall prey to exploitation and abuse.
But it goes on as we speak. The sharp documentary The Nanny Business (Global, 10 p.m.) tells the stories of several Filipina nannies who came here to escape poverty and to support the families they left behind, but found themselves betrayed.
At the core of the problem is the fact that nannies just keep coming. Written and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Shelley Saywell, the report states that since 1990 approximately 100,000 Filipina women have come to Canada to work as nannies; every year, roughly 5,000 more show up.
The big draw, for most, has been a federal initiative called the Live-In Caregiver Program. How it works: Each Filipina nanny must live in an employer's home for two years out of a three-year period. At the end of the third year, the nanny can apply for Canadian citizenship.
In theory, the Live-In Caregiver Program seems like the perfect arrangement. Working families here can offset childcare costs with a live-in nanny; the nannies can start a new life in a new country and put aside some money for family back home, or the future.
But the unscrupulous always find a way to slip through the cracks when there is money to be skimmed from a large and willing workforce.
The film details how some Filipina nannies have been cheated by recruiters and treated shabbily by employers. Saywell convinces some victims of the egregious cases to tell their stories, and they are not easy to watch.
Perhaps the film's most haunting image is that of Edelyn, a young woman waiting to be picked up at the Toronto airport on a bitterly cold night in February. Welcome to Canada.
At 27, Edelyn has left behind her own three young children and spent three days connecting on flights from Hong Kong to Toronto. In her hand, she clutches a contract enabling her to work as a live-in caregiver; in her pocket, she has $10, all her money in the world.
Worse, no one ever comes to pick up Edelyn. She ends up in a crowded apartment of fellow Filipino newcomers, each lured here by the promise of a steady job in a family home.
Although she's paid thousands to a Canadian recruitment agency, Edelyn discovers that the employer who signed her contract has decided not to use her services. She is clearly devastated and tells the camera, "I will never get over this."
Nor will Joelina, a Filipina who came here after years working as a nanny in Hong Kong and the Middle East. Joelina's plan was to save some money, put down roots and eventually bring her own children to Canada.
Like Edelyn, Joelina arrived to find she had no job and was forced to live in her agent's basement for nearly three months - along with 16 other nannies. When her agent finally found her a job, she was forced to work 18-hour days for far below the minimum wage. For some nannies, the salary works out to less than $3 an hour.
The film takes some informed perspective from Canadian journalist Susan McClelland, whose own search for a nanny resulted in the Walrus magazine article Nanny Abuse, which won a coveted Amnesty Award.
The personal stories of The Nanny Business are heartbreaking, but some effort is being made to right the situation. The willingness of Edelyn and Joelina and other nannies to tell their stories is a step in the right direction. Human-rights advocates and parents are rallying to the cause.
Even then, for all its best intentions and satisfied customers, the Live-In Caregiver Program itself appears to be deeply flawed. The film's lingering impression is that the current shameful state of the nanny business is unlikely to change any time soon.
More than once, the nannies' plight is referred to as "caregiver trafficking," which seems a sadly apt description. For some Filipino women, the great Canadian dream has become a nightmare.
Also airing
David Suchet on the Orient Express: A Masterpiece Special (PBS, 8 p.m.) should save you the cost of visiting Europe this summer. The program is hosted by the English actor David Suchet, aka Hercule Poirot, who takes viewers onboard the iconic train for a ride starting in London and ending in Prague. Nobody is murdered, of course.
The Boy Who Can't Stop Running (CBC News Network, 10 p.m.) is a remarkable profile of marathon runner Budhia Singh. At age 4 (he's now 8), the lad became a folk hero in his native India for his ability to run marathon races - up to 26 miles at one time. Decide for yourself whether Budhia is an athletic prodigy or a victim of child exploitation.
Check local listings.
John Doyle will return.