On Tuesday, October 3, 2006, the Honourable Mike Colle, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, addressed the provincial legislature, to present a second reading of the FAIR ACCESS TO REGULATED PROFESSIONS ACT, 2006. He directed his speech to The Acting Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Ted Arnott.
This Bill is being proposed for enforcement as an Act of Law in the Province of Ontario. In the words of Minister Mike Colle: “
Bill 124 tries to address the reality of the fact that when a foreign-trained individual comes to Canada and Ontario, there is a complexity of regulatory bodies, 34 in all, that range from architecture to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to the College of Midwives of Ontario, the chartered accountants' institute, teachers' colleges and engineering. All of these regulatory bodies, up until this bill is proposed, have never had oversight by a provincial government
Minister Colle emphasized: “So there would be an appointment of a fairness commissioner who would be the champion of newcomers applying to go through this regulatory process.
Minister Colle continued his dialogue, stating: “…it's really a reflection of their many years of trying to ensure that foreign-trained individuals and all newcomers get a fair shot at working in their chosen field here in Ontario. As you know, Mr. Speaker, over 140,000 newcomers come to this province every year -- about 60% of all the newcomers to Canada come to Ontario”.
Minister Colle concluded his support for passage of the Bill into law by saying:
So this Bill 124 is an attempt to do something about fairness, transparency and accountability so that these wonderful people will get to work, feed their families and contribute to Ontario's economy so that we can really celebrate our diversity, our multiculturalism, economically and socially. We really need to do this more than ever because we are in such a competitive world. Just out of equity and fairness, we have to do this.
Member of Provincial Parliament Mario Racco, demonstrated his support for the Bill when he said:
Bill 124 - The Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act - is about ensuring that all of Ontario's newcomers have a fair shot at success. If passed, this Bill will see the implementation of a comprehensive framework designed to assist foreign trained professionals reach their full potential and contribute to economic success of our province.
What Bill 124 really means is that the confusing process of becoming a recognized professional will be made easier. The transition for a specialist will be more fluid, with road-blocks to employment shattered. New Canadian’s will no longer be forced to drives taxis for many years, without a possibility to work as a doctor, etcetera. New Canadian’s will be able to follow-up on their applications for registration with regulatory bodies, to gain access to work in their profession. In short, the doors are open to professionals in all disciplines. Welcome, you are invited to start your life anew in Canada. We, here at Vamos a Canada, are prepared to assist you in your complete relocation and immersion into the Canadian economy. We will help you adjust to multicultural society that is known the world over as being most culturally diverse place where all people, regardless of ethnic origin can thrive!
