Human Resources committee  Would you like me to start? At the very least, in Alberta there is no difference. The pay rates are set through collective agreements established between the health service providers and the labour unions. I believe that's the case in each of the provinces across the country.

Human Resources committee  I would have to agree with Ms. Gordon's comments about information overseas. It's a tremendous leap to imagine somebody coming from Manila and successfully integrating into the workplace in Fort McMurray, Alberta. That's what's happening. That's what people are encountering. Gett

Human Resources committee  I had a conversation about this issue during our break. For nursing in Alberta there are no formal programs that support people to go into rural or remote settings. However, in Alberta we have the rural physician action plan. It is a program that supports internationally trained

Human Resources committee  You're keeping me out of the mall, but I'm fine with that.

Human Resources committee  It's probably advisable if I stay with you, actually.

Human Resources committee  Yes, currently Mount Royal does the competency assessment.

Human Resources committee  No, there is no fee for the assessment. If individuals are required to go on and complete additional education following the assessment, then yes, they would be charged for tuition fees, books, etc.

Human Resources committee  I can speak to that a little bit. In short, no, we're not tracking that sort of thing. We know anecdotally about situations like the ones you described, but we've not had the need, the time, or the resources required to track individuals for the long term as they enter our syste

Human Resources committee  I have nothing comparable to offer that's happening in Alberta, although I would have to say that the kind of structure Ms. Gordon is describing is absolutely essential. I think there's a lot of willingness to offer those sorts of services and to be involved. People ask, “Where

Human Resources committee  Yes, although over the last year we've experienced an increasing number of applicants who are making applications with Canadian addresses, and particularly Alberta addresses. We're tracking those individuals to identify what the differences are. I suspect that most of them are al

Human Resources committee  Yes.

Human Resources committee  Not in the coordinated fashion that Ms. Gordon has been describing in Ontario, no. I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with what happens with other professions within Alberta, in terms of the kind of support the government offers for bridging education programs. The bridging educat

Human Resources committee  I think I can probably answer the question best by giving you an example, and that would be the national nursing assessment service that I referred to earlier. It is a project that has been under way for the last four years with the support of funding from the federal government.

Human Resources committee  Thank you. Mr. Chairman, honourable members, it's a privilege to appear before you today. I'm here on behalf of the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta, which is the regulatory body and professional organization for Alberta's 33,000 registered nurses, the la