Ottawa says it will let foreign-trained workers in occupations the country needs know within one year whether their credentials will allow them to work in their profession in Canada.Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley said Monday morning in Etobicoke that faster recognition of newcomers' foreign qualifications is key to improving immigrants' employment prospects and quality of life in Canada and to sustaining Canada's economic strength.
By Dec. 31, 2010, the federal and provincial governments will have a system in place to start recognizing international credentials for eight occupations, including architects, engineers, registered nurses, pharmacists, medical lab technicians, physio and occupational therapists and financial auditors and accountants, Finley said.
"It used to be that it could take two years after someone got here just to find out where and how to get their credentials recognized," Finley said at Community Microskills Development Centre, a non-profit, multicultural community-based organization that helps the unemployed, with priority to women, racial minorities, youth and immigrants.
"We recognize how important it is for newcomers to put their training and their knowledge to work in Canada. It's vital for them, it's vital for their families and it's vital for our economy."
The move is meant to deal with the problem of professionals educated abroad being forced to work in unskilled jobs because their training is not recognized in Canada.
Statistics Canada reports that six in 10 immigrants work in jobs in fields other than those worked in their native country.
More than 250,000 newcomers arrive in Canada annually, half of them make their home in Ontario, Ottawa says.
"Equality anywhere is equality everywhere," said Microskills' executive director Kay Blair. "The co-ordinated approach you've taken is a fundamental shift in the right direction."
Doctors are among the second group of professionals to be added to the list within the next three years. Dentists, engineering technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical radiation technologists and teachers of kindergarten to Grade 12 also made the list.
New Democrat Citizenship and Immigration Critic Olivia Chow charged Ottawa's plan is too little, too late.
"I urge the government to speed up the process of recognizing foreign credentials. The majority of the professionals won't see concrete results until December 2013. That is a long time to wait," Chow said Monday in a statement.
When asked by a reporter why doctors didn't make the first list, Finley called the evaluation of physician credentials "complex" and said the government "wants to make sure we get it right."
Ottawa set aside about $50 million in its 2009 budget to move the plan forward.
The new framework pledges that the federal, provincial and territorial governments will strive to create better services for immigrants prior to their arrival in Canada, and once they're in the workforce.
Ottawa says it will work with Canada's nearly 500 professional regulatory authorities and credential assessment agencies, colleges and universities and other "key partners" to make the changes.
Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney called the framework "a step forward" for all foreign-trained professionals.
"The best pathway to cultural integration is a good job," he said. "Today's announcement is about getting more newcomers better jobs."
Kenney refuted suggestions that Monday's announcement is aimed at securing immigrant votes in the next election.
"This is about good policy and good outcomes for the Canadian economy. It's not about politics," he said.