Dhalla No Ruby for Nannys
| 5/7/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Ruby Dhalla the Liberal MP for Brampton has stepped down from her critics position in Parliament as a result of the current storm over her alleged treatment of two nanny’s employed by her and her family. Personally, I think Ignatieff needs to impose an unpaid leave of absence from her position as MP and ask the appropriate authorities to investigate and either lay charges or clear her.
The uproar stems from a meeting between Provincial Education Minister Kathleen Wynn and several nannys to talk to them about their rights. Ontario Labour Minister Peter Fonesca was present as an ‘observer’ when one of the two nannys levelled allegations that Dhalla and her family had them working illegally, took their papers from them and refused to return them, had them doing non-nanny work like cleaning the families chiropractic clinics, washing cars and shining shoes and imposed 12-16 hours days without paying addition wages.
The complaint about Dhalla wasn’t the only complaint received that day. There were about 30 received. While the uproar is about one of those complaints, it really does beg the question of the lack of action on all the complaints. If Wynn and Fonesca really wanted to let the nannys know they had rights why did they not move to have all 30 complaints investigated with Dhalla right at the top of the list?
You can’t convince people they have rights if you stand by and fail to not only show them how to assert those rights but not start the ball rolling. The two MPPs had the ability to do that, and they should have done so. Ruby Dhalla should answer for her and her family’s behaviour and so should the 29 other complaints if they are true.
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