VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, May 20, 2010—The Government of Canada is helping better integrate foreign‑trained midwives into the Canadian workforce. Mr. Andrew Saxton, Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
The College of Midwives of British Columbia will receive $1,674,929 in Foreign Credential Recognition Program funding to administer the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Project (MMBP).
“Our government is helping newcomers maximize their talents and succeed in Canada,” said Mr. Saxton. “That is why we are taking action to improve foreign credential recognition. We are pleased to support the College of Midwives of British Columbia and its partners, because attracting the best international talent is important in addressing existing and future labour market challenges and is critical to Canada’s long-term economic success.”
This is a joint, pan-Canadian pilot project, involving the Canadian Midwifery Regulators Consortium, educators and key stakeholders, to create a fair and transparent process that will bridge internationally educated midwives into the Canadian labour market, according to standards set out in the Canadian Competencies for Midwives.
“We are pleased to receive funding from HRSDC for the 2010–2012 pilot phase of the Multi‑jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Project,” said Ms. Kris Robinson, Chair of the Canadian Midwifery Regulators Consortium. “The Canadian Midwifery Regulators Consortium and university educational partners thank the federal government for acknowledging the importance of preparing internationally educated midwives for practice in Canada. The MMBP is an innovative program to build capacity for maternity care and create opportunities to increase options for childbearing women.”
Canada’s Economic Action Plan invested $50 million to work with the provinces and territories and other partners, such as employers, to address barriers to foreign credential recognition in Canada. This investment directly contributed to the development of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, which was announced last November.
Under the Framework, foreign-trained workers who submit an application to be licensed or registered to work in certain fields will be advised within one year whether their qualifications will be recognized. TheFramework is part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to have the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world.
With this $50-million investment, the Government will:
- develop the principles that will guide the process of foreign credential recognition;
- develop standards for the timely handling of requests;
- identify key occupations that will be the priority for developing recognition standards; and
- help people who want to come to Canada understand what they need to know before they arrive.
The Foreign Credential Recognition Program and the Foreign Credentials Referral Office are the key federal initiatives in place to support pan-Canadian implementation of the Framework.
To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
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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 Canada
819-994-5559
To help internationally trained workers find jobs in their career of choice, Canada’s Economic Action Plan is investing $50 million over two years to make the process of assessing and recognizing foreign qualifications more efficient.
The objective of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications is to articulate a new joint national vision, guiding principles and desired outcomes for improving the assessment and recognition of newcomers’ qualifications.
The Foreign Credential Recognition Program aims to improve the integration of internationally trained workers into the workforce. The Program provides funding to and works with the provinces and territories and stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, post‑secondary institutions, sector councils and employers, to implement projects that facilitate the assessment and recognition of qualifications acquired in other countries.
The Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO) was established in May 2007 to help internationally trained workers receive the information, path-finding and referral services, in Canada and overseas, to have their credentials assessed quickly so they can find work faster in the fields for which they have been trained. The FCRO works with federal, provincial and territorial partners, and foreign credential assessment and recognition bodies, to strengthen foreign credential recognition processes across the country. Internet services for internationally trained workers can be found on the FCRO Web site at the following address: www.credentials.gc.ca.
The Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Project (MMBP) is a pan-Canadian initiative of the College of Midwives of British Columbia and the Canadian Midwifery Regulators Consortium, in collaboration with educational institutions across the country. Visit www.cmbc.bc.ca for information on the College, and www.cmrc-ccosf.ca to learn about the Consortium. The MMBP is an innovative and accessible project to assess and bridge internationally educated midwives into practice in Canada. It supports their integration into the workforce through processes that maintain public safety and meet requirements for labour mobility. Further information about the MMBP can be found at www.midwiferybridging.ca.
