Recruitment fees charged to Filipino jobseekers bound for Canada would be barred under a new labor arrangement that, for the first time, brings the two national governments into a shared migration framework.
The commitment sits at the center of a Joint Declaration of Intent on Labor and Migration Cooperation, signed July 2, 2026, in Vancouver by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Canada’s Department of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC Canada). The document affirms both governments’ commitment to legal migration pathways and to recruitment and deployment practices carried out under the laws of both countries.
Signing for the Philippines was DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, while Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Indira Anand signed on behalf of her government. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Mark Carney witnessed the exchange, which unfolded during the President’s working visit made at Carney’s invitation.
Beyond the ban on recruitment fees, the declaration presses for ethical hiring and employment standards and for worker access to information on their rights and to grievance channels.
Cacdac framed the arrangement as a practical gain for workers rather than a ceremonial one, describing it as a step toward safer and more accessible overseas employment for Filipinos and their families. “This is the first-ever federal bilateral agreement on labor and migration with Canada,” Secretary Cacdac said. “In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we continue to expand and elevate our labor cooperation by affirming our shared values on fair and ethical recruitment.”
He pointed out that Manila has existing labor ties with several Canadian provinces, but that the declaration marks the first time a common set of governing principles has been set with Canada’s federal government. Carney, for his part, called the agreement “the first of its kind” struck bilaterally by the Canadian federal government.
