Rounding out qualifications

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Hello Strathmore Times readers. As I write this another blast of winter weather is on the way so you may want to get those winter tires on sooner rather than later.
Many professions, such as doctors, lawyers, engineers and accountants are what is called “self-regulating.”
This means their professional organization is responsible for certifying that applicants are qualified and enforces standards of practice. Immigrant professionals must apply to these bodies and have their qualifications examined and accepted before they are able to practice in Alberta. In many cases applicants must write exams, and in some cases may be required to take courses to round out their qualifications. This certification must not be used to create a “closed shop,” barring qualified professionals from working in Alberta.
This past week we held a very successful and very engaged round table discussing Bill 11, the Fair Registrations Practices Act. During the election campaign we heard from a significant amount of people concerned that professional regulators were taking too long to evaluate the foreign training of professionals. Bill 11 was created to help speed up that process by working with these associations. The Premier has said on many occasions that he is prepared to take strong action if the accreditation process doesn’t improve: “If … we see that there are some professional bodies that are abusing their authority to erect unjustifiable barriers to registration and certification, then I will be prepared to remind them that we could de-designate them and create new regulatory bodies in their place.”
He added “it is immoral and unethical to encourage skilled immigrants to come to Canada only to face underemployment,” and promised to “make the process fair, fast and transparent.”
Bill 11 empowers the Minister of Labour and Immigration to work with regulators and make sure that fairness is part of the process with consequences for non-compliance of up to $50,000. The Minister can perform audits and require reports as to how foreign credentials are processed, ensuring the process is fair and impartial. There will be an office that will be used to help provide advice to those who have complaints and will work with professional and trade organizations. There will be opportunities for training, and the legislation covers 60 or more different bodies that regulate everything from nursing to architects.
This will help speed up the process of newcomers getting their credentials recognized so they can work in the careers they trained for, reduces red tape and removes barriers, and it will help newcomers get family-supporting jobs that contribute to Alberta’s economy.
Many newcomers are underemployed and unable to practice their skills because licensing procedures can be needlessly complex and can take years. Speeding up this process will maintain Alberta’s high professional standards while getting Albertans back to work and reigniting our economy.
According to the Conference Board of Canada, Canadians would earn up to $17 billion more each year if their learning credentials were fully recognized. Provinces such as Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia already have similar legislation in place.
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore, Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism)