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Harper moves on foreign credentials issue |
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By Ravi Mehta » Prime
Minister Stephen Harper held out the promise of a better future on the
jobs front for new immigrants, asking the country's provincial premiers
to work with him to help immigrants have their foreign credentials
recognized.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who was present at the dinner meeting, revealed that Harper himself raised the issue.
Many immigrants find themselves unable to find jobs in their fields of
expertise because their foreign training credentials are not
recognized. The issue takes on an even more serious hue when
professionals like doctors cannot practice despite there being a huge
shortage of general practitioners in Canada.
"That's one of things Harper raised as an issue that he
would like us to collaborate with him on, which is the recognition of
credentials from the foreign community," McGuinty said. "We're more
than pleased to do that."
Analyzing and approving foreign training credentials is a matter handled by individual provinces in Canada, which means the federal (national) government cannot dictate policy.
McGuinty, who spoke to reporters following a Liberal policy convention in Mississauga dedicated to immigration, said ensuring new Canadians can use their training overseas to gain employment in their field of expertise is key for Ontario if it wants to attract the best educated immigrants.
"We're going to be competing for immigrants," McGuinty said.
"A big question for any person choosing to leave their home country for another is: 'How long does it take me when I'm over there to get up and running'," he said.
"We're going to have to be able to answer that effectively and competitively (to attract the best immigrants)," he added.
McGuinty said he received written assurances from the Harper government that the landmark immigration and labour market deals it reached with the former Liberal government won't be tossed out.
The five-year, $920-million immigration deal means Ottawa will dole out more cash to help immigrants settle in the province, including language training and other services. The $300-million, six-year labour market agreement will help new Canadians in the province find the right kind of work for their skills and education.
• Mentorship proposal: Meanwhile Ontario Immigration Minister Mike Colle said some big companies like Ernst & Young proposed boosting the number of mentorships and internships for immigrants so they can quickly get work experience in Ontario and more quickly get hired into their field of training.
"We really need to get into this in more and more ways (and) be bold on the mentorship front," said Colle, adding that companies benefit from having workers with international experience and a variety of language skills.
"We need everyone to open their doors and give newcomers a chance."
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