EDMONTON, ALBERTA, March 12, 2009—Mr. Brent Rathgeber, Member of Parliament for Edmonton–St. Albert, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced Government of Canada support for the College of Licensed Practical Nurses to promote labour mobility for Canada’s nurses.
“Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government continues to support the removal of barriers to ensure full labour mobility for all Canadian workers by April 1, 2009,” said Mr. Rathgeber. “Labour mobility encourages international competitiveness and is a fundamental right of citizenship.”
Today’s announcement of close to $75,000 will help the College of Licensed Practical Nurses bring together regulators from all provinces and territories to discuss inter-provincial mobility and the effective pan-Canadian implementation of Chapter 7 (Labour Mobility) of the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT).
“Encouraging the recognition of qualifications and certifications across Canada benefits workers and employers alike; workers have a wider range of opportunities and employers have a broader selection of candidates, which is important in these changing economic conditions,” said Mr. Rathgeber.
Full labour mobility applies to internationally trained workers as well as Canadian trained workers. Improving the labour market integration of internationally trained workers is a key commitment of the Government of Canada. The Government is taking action on this commitment by working with partners and stakeholders to break down the barriers to integration—including difficulties with foreign credential recognition—to position Canada as a destination of choice for immigrants.
The Government of Canada along with provinces, territories and regulatory partners is taking action to develop a national framework for faster recognition of foreign credentials. Labour ministers were asked to develop the common framework by September 2009. This will improve employment opportunities, as well as give employers access to a larger and richer pool of human resources.
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This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
For further information (media only):
Michelle Bakos
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development
819-994-5559
College of Licensed Practical Nurses
This College of Licensed Practical Nurses project contributes to facilitating inter-provincial labour mobility for members in this occupational group and is consistent with Chapter 7.
A pro-active collaborative approach among licensed practical nurse (LPN) regulators across Canada will help facilitate Canada’s long-term strategy for health human resources unit by planning based on population health needs by enabling a mobile workforce.
The specific objectives of the project are to:
- achieve full mobility for LPNs within Canadian jurisdictions through demonstrated regulatory excellence while upholding the mandate of public protection;
- include representation from LPN regulators from every p rovince and t erritory in Canada for participation in discussion;
- identify areas of similarities and differences with respect to policies and processes and focus on these areas in discussions related to addressing possible barriers; and
- identify and develop a strategy and implementation plan to address these barriers.
