'Guardian angels' who stepped up to help Quebec during pandemic now feel left behind
At the beginning of the pandemic, there were foreign-trained medical doctors who worked with the promise of a job.
They were called "Guardian angels" but now they are merely doctors who feel they've been cast aside and forgotten.
Two of them spoke to CTV News but didn't want their full names published because it could hurt their chances to find work in their field.
Dr. Irene and Dr. Jole are medical doctors who moved to Canada from halfway around the world to find a better life. Getting a licence to practice in Canada is a long and complex battle so they were more than happy to raise their hands when local health boards began recruiting the so-called Guardian angels.
Dr. Jole got a job as a clinical technician. The work was humbling for a medical doctor. But it came with a promise that once the pandemic was over, they would be offered full-time permanent jobs.
"[They] never called me and so after 10 months, never. No call, no job, no nothing," said Dr. Irene.
Dr. Jole didn't fare much better.
"It's hard to say, but I feel we got used somehow … because we did all our best. But nobody really cared about us. Nobody really cared about the work that we are doing during this pandemic," he said.
The union representing the Ciusss De L'ouest De L'île De Montréal says these workers have reasons to be angry. The promise of jobs was absolutely clear.
"Of course, they even sent them a letter saying that we are working on ensuring that you get regular hours so you could come in as permanent workers. We'll be posting positions for you," said Alexandra Boisrond, a union representative.
A spokesperson for the CIUSSS could not be reached for comment before publication time on Thursday.
Dr. Jole says he's not giving up hope, but Dr. Irene says she's willing to pack up and leave.
"They don't appreciate. They don't recognize us. So I have a licence to go back to work in Europe, or in South America," she said.
Quebec's loss will once again be another country's win.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca