Ontario to speed employment of foreign-trained professionals

Ontario to speed employment of foreign-trained professionals
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Fri, Jun 2, 2006 9:00 AM EST


The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation that would help internationally trained professionals work in their fields of expertise sooner.

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

"The proposed legislation is about making sure that those with great global experience have a fair shot at working in their profession," provincial Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle said in a statement.

No details of the legislation were provided. The McGuinty government says it hopes to table the bill before the end of the current legislative session.

At the same time, the government says it will create up to 70 six-month internship assignments for foreign-trained professionals in provincial ministries and agencies.

"We are leading by example and are the first province in Canada with a program like this," said Minister of Government Services Gerry Phillips.