The Ontario government will introduce legislation to help internationally trained professionals work in their fields of expertise sooner, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle announced today.”Ontario is attracting some of the best educated, and highly skilled people from around the world,” said Colle. “The proposed legislation is about making sure that those with great global experience have a fair shot at working in their profession.”

The Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act 2006, would apply to 34 regulated professions in Ontario, including accountants, engineers, physicians, lawyers, teachers, and social workers.

The bill should be introduced before the end of the current legislative session, as part of a comprehensive plan for newcomer success.

Another component of the plan is a new Ontario government internship program for internationally trained individuals. In the first year of the program, up to 70 six-month internship assignments will be created in ministries and Crown agencies. Program participants will be able to apply their talents and experience and gain knowledge of government that can be applied in other workplaces.

“We are leading by example and are the first province in Canada with a program like this,” said Minister of Government Services Gerry Phillips. “We are challenging Ontario businesses to tap into the talents of skilled newcomers. They have the skills businesses need to succeed.”

The proposed legislation and internship program form part of the Ontario government’s strategy to help newcomers succeed. Other parts of the strategy have included:

  • Investing over $34 million since 2003, in 60 bridge training projects to help newcomers work in 100 trades and professions.
  • Negotiating the first ever Canada-Ontario immigration agreement, which quadruples federal funding for language training and settlement programs to $920 million over five years.
  • Doubling the number of training and assessments positions for internationally trained medical graduates - in the past two years more doctors’ certificates have been issued to international medical graduates than to Ontario graduates.

3 Jun 2006