Evidence of meeting #5 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
Based on the experience we have, there are three things I'd like to suggest. First is to increase attention on the language capacity. We would suggest this might be done at the screening of possible immigrants, providing access to language training once in Canada.
Second is to develop a scholarship or loan program for IMRTs, like a Canada student loans program, to participate in bridging programs. By receiving this funding, IHPs or internationally educated medical radiation technologists can support the programs they choose to attend through the funding they are receiving. At the same time, they would be able to continue to work.
Third, we think it's very important that those bridging programs include time in supervised clinical practice. That is going to require involvement of provinces, however, because health is a provincial responsibility.
Thank you very much. I look forward to answering questions that members of the committee might have.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ed Komarnicki
Thank you very much for that presentation.
We're going to start with Madam Perreault.
NDP
Manon Perreault NDP Montcalm, QC
I have two questions.
First, I would like to know if you ever get any complaints from foreign workers whose qualifications have been recognized by your organization, but who are unable to find a job.
I would also like to know whether, conversely, you ever receive complaints from employers about workers they have hired and who do not meet their expectations, especially in terms of qualifications.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ed Komarnicki
Could you each answer that? Perhaps we'll start with Christine.
Executive Director, Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
Sure. Thank you.
One of our recent projects is assessing the integration of two to seven years post-licensure for five professions. This includes Chuck's profession, medical radiation technologist, and medical laboratory technologist, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and pharmacists. We looked all across Canada to address the challenge of barriers in entering the workforce.
We found that someone who has been internationally educated lacks the network that Canadians have, but they do enter the labour market and appear to have more job satisfaction than domestic graduates. So they are finding work in the five professions and they seem to be more satisfied with the workplace experience than someone who is Canadian trained. This was a surprise to us, but that's why we do research, to try to prove things that you hypothesize about and are not sure of.
In regard to complaints from employers, our experience is this large on the continuum of employer attitudes towards immigrants. There are people who would hire someone who is internationally trained over someone who is Canadian trained any day because they bring a different basket of tools. Then there are others who have had a single bad experience and never want to hire one again. So they fit everywhere in between that continuum.
Conservative
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
We do not receive any feedback, either from the employers or the technologists themselves. It appears that they are able to find jobs. However, given the work she does, Christine has more research-based information about that.
Executive Director, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
For instance, when it comes to architects who arrive in Canada with a significant amount of experience under their belt, the obstacle has more to do with the obligation to obtain a licence in order to be recognized as an architect. That process is seen as an expensive one, even more so than in the case of lawyers, for instance, who open a practice.
Actually, the status of foreign architects who find a job in an architectural firm is inferior to that of an architect. They find themselves lacking the motivation to advance in order to go through the steps leading to the official recognition as architects and the acquisition of all the authority related to that status. That's the main obstacle.
NDP
Manon Perreault NDP Montcalm, QC
Just out of curiosity, I would like to know what percentage of those foreign professionals speak French.
Executive Director, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
I don't have that figure on hand.
NDP
Manon Perreault NDP Montcalm, QC
I would also like to know how many of those professionals are recognized each year.
Executive Director, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
I don't know. I don't have that information on hand either.
Giulia Nastase Manager, Special Projects, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
For CAMRT we conduct assessments of credentials. We assess on behalf of a number of provinces and the regulatory bodies of the regulated provinces assess separately. Approximately 100 IMRTs are being assessed per year between all of us and given access to the national certification exam. The pass rates for IMRTs have been consistent between 25% and 31%. Depending on the year, these are the numbers.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ed Komarnicki
Thank you very much. The time is up.
We'll probably get back to you, Ms. Nielsen.
Ms. Leitch, go ahead.
Conservative
Kellie Leitch Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON
Thank you very much for your presentations today. I greatly appreciate your being here to provide us some direction and advice.
I guess a question for all three organizations, to begin with, is this. There is obviously a significant amount of federal-provincial interaction that has to take place for these individuals to be accredited and then be able to enter the workforce here in Canada. Do you have some recommendations on how best to facilitate that, from your experiences? You've obviously had to deal with your provincial and your national...as national partners. It would be very helpful for us to know what those leadership things are that we should be implementing, or how we can facilitate that interaction to take place so we can have more people accredited here to get them into the Canadian workforce.
Executive Director, Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
That's a great question. There are very few professions that asses on a national level. That's where we run into some challenges, especially related to the agreement on internal trade. And we run into licensing barriers. In the past, one has been licensed in one jurisdiction and not accepted in another.
In our opinion, the ideal model is something that was given to the Canadian society by its provincial partners years ago. Because of the size, no single province had the capacity to do the assessments alone. Quebec still looks after its own, but everyone else entrusted the national organization, which is my society, to do this work for them.
We're under contract. We have agreements. They've all set the standards in consultation and collaboration. So we literally have a process that allows everyone to be assessed in Canada, whether they're arriving in New Brunswick or Ontario. And each of the regulators agreed to the standard. So when they've been assessed by my agency and they've been certified by my agency, it's carte blanche for them to work anywhere in Canada, with the exception of Quebec.
Executive Director, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
I'd just like to say that this process, supported by HRSDC, has actually been instrumental in bringing together a collective approach by all the provincial and territorial regulators. The support has meant that there's ongoing discussion among the regulators about the project as it evolves through the work done by the broadly experienced foreign architect task force that was appointed by the architectural licensing authorities. That type of support by HRSDC—to develop not only a technical product for assessing the competencies in foreign architects but also to support the ongoing discussions among the regulators—is crucial to a successful outcome. So that's been very helpful. This project has helped both sides of it, the political internal support and the technical development of the instrument.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Dr. Leitch, your question sounded as if it also asked for advice we might have regarding federal-provincial governments working together towards objectives.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
There are mechanisms, of course, that exist between the federal and provincial governments. Now, in the Department of Health, those can work.
One of the things I have found in my years of working with several associations is that oftentimes the national associations working with their provincial ones can accomplish things that may be harder for the governmental bodies to do. So it may be that working through us can in fact help achieve some of the things. I think that's a lot of what Christine was saying in her comments.
We certainly have found that our provincial regulatory bodies and associations are quite keen and work with us very positively.