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May 14, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHARLOTTETOWN, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND - The Honourable Joe McGuire, Minister of Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Member of Parliament for Egmont, on behalf of the Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced Government of Canada funding of more than $1.8 million to support four national projects related to the recognition and assessment of foreign credentials.
"Canada will require a highly skilled workforce to sustain our economic growth and competitiveness," said Minister Volpe. "The funding announced today will help us reach that goal by enlarging the pool of talent in Canada. Ultimately, efforts like these will benefit all Canadians as it will help ensure our competitiveness in the knowledge-based global economy."
Today's funding announcement will support the Self-Assessment Tool project by the Medical Council of Canada; the International Engineering Graduates : From Consideration to Integration project by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers; the Diagnostic for the National Assessment of International Nurse Applicants project by the Canadian Nurses Association; and the immigration survey and roundtables project by the Public Policy Forum.
The announcement was made at the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) in Charlottetown, where the CCPE also made 17 recommendations aimed at helping integrate international engineering graduates (IEGs) into the Canadian engineering profession and workforce. The recommendations included a seminar on "Working in Canada", a database of recognized engineering degrees, a comprehensive, single-source web site, the development of a mentoring program, and the identification of elements of the engineering licensing process that can be done overseas. The recommendations are the result of a three-phase initiative entitled From Consideration to Integration that has been tackling a range of difficulties in licensing and employing IEGs. This announcement also highlighted the results of the Phase II project on foreign credentials recognition by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.
"This is an investment in Canada's future," said Minister McGuire, who attended the CCPE event on behalf of Minister Volpe. "Today's announcement is an example of the Government of Canada's strong commitment to achieving fairer, speedier and more transparent processes for the recognition of foreign credentials. By breaking down barriers to integration, it will help position Canada as a destination of choice for skilled immigrants."
A number of federal departments are working together and with their partners - including provincial/territorial governments, licensing and regulatory bodies, sector councils, employers, professional associations and other stakeholders - to improve the integration of immigrants and foreign-trained Canadians into the labour market so that they can make full use of their talents and experience to the benefit of our country. This pan-Canadian effort is working to better recognize foreign credentials, find ways to assist immigrants get the necessary Canadian work experience or language training, provide better information to prospective immigrants about employment requirements, and develop strategies to address employer attitudes.
Work has begun on occupations facing critical shortages - physicians and nurses. Engineers are also a focus, given the large influx of engineers to Canada every year. Improvements made to credentials assessment and recognition processes within this first set of professions will contribute to the development of a pan-Canadian model for foreign credentials recognition. This model will eventually be applicable to all regulated and non-regulated professions and trades, in key sectors of the economy.
Funding for these projects was provided for in the March 2004 federal Budget.
These projects comply with all departmental administrative rules governing grants and contributions, and provisions of the Financial Administration Act, and are subject to review to ensure compliance with the objectives of the program.
For more information, please see the attached backgrounder.
SUMMARY OF PROJECTS
Medical Council of Canada
Self-Assessment Tool project: $341,050
Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
Foreign-Trained Engineers: From Consideration to Integration project: $796,576
Canadian Nurses Association
Diagnostic for the National Assessment of International Nurse Applicants project: $545,145
Public Policy Forum
immigration survey and roundtables project: $190,121
Total Government of Canada funding: $1,872,892
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For more information:
Stephanie Lewis
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
(819) 994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
(819) 994-5559
Backgrounder
Project 1
Canadian Nurses Association - Diagnostic for the National Assessment of International Nurse Applicants
Description
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is a federation of 11 provincial and territorial registered nurses associations. The CNA speaks for Canadian registered nurses and represents Canadian nursing to other organizations at the national and international levels. The membership of approximately 120,000 registered nurses is broad and diverse, reflecting the face of nursing today.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has signed an agreement with the CNA to fund a diagnostic project aimed at identifying and assessing the current practices and policies with respect to the licensing of international applicants for each of the three regulated nursing groups and providing draft recommendations for further action.
Funding
HRSDC has provided $545,145 in funding.
Project 2
Medical Council of Canada - Self-Assessment Tool
Description
The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) was created in 1912 by an Act of the Parliament of Canada with provincial approval to develop and administer examinations or other forms of assessment for physicians wishing to become licensed to practice medicine in Canada.
HRSDC is funding the MCC to create a self-assessment examination and associated delivery system to be made available to foreign-trained medical graduates wishing to come to Canada to train or practice in the field of medicine. The MCC is also funding a portion of this project.
Funding
HRSDC has provided $341,050 in funding.
Project 3
Public Policy Forum - Immigration Survey and Roundtables
Description
The Public Policy Forum (PPF) was established in 1987 as a national, independent, not-for-profit organization aimed at improving the quality of government in Canada through better dialogue between government, the private and third sectors. The PPF's members, businesses, federal and provincial governments, the voluntary sector and labour, share a common belief that an efficient and effective public service is a key element in ensuring our quality of life and global competitive position.
HRSDC is providing $190,121 to the PPF to conduct a survey of employers that will examine the issue of immigration, foreign credentials recognition and employment. This is part of a larger project that will culminate in a roundtable of employers. Other departments and organizations will participate in and fund the latter part of this project.
Funding
HRSDC has provided $190,121 in funding.
Project 4
Canadian Council of Professional Engineers - Foreign-Trained Engineers: From Consideration to Integration, Phase II
Description
The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) is the national organization of the provincial and territorial associations that regulate the practice of engineering in Canada and license the country's more than 160,000 professional engineers.
Launched in January 2003, the Phase I of the From Consideration to Integration (FC2I) project provided an overview of the Canadian immigration process, provincial and territorial engineering licensing procedures, and approaches to assessing the credentials of internationally educated engineers. Phase II of the project provides an analysis of the information gathered in Phase I and identifies key areas for improvement within the immigrant integration process.
Funding
HRSDC has provided $796,576 in funding.
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