Merci.
My presentation will also be in French.
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to you today about Quebec's system for foreign credential recognition.
I will be talking primarily about the current recognition tools used, as well as the recent initiatives taken by the Office des professions in the area of credential recognition.
I want to begin by saying a few words about the Office des professions du Québec. This board was established pursuant to framework legislation, namely the Professional Code. Its main mission is to protect the public and the system comes under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Justice, who is responsible for the application of professional acts. The Office is comprised of a five-member board, with three of the members representing the public, an Interprofessional Council made up of 45 professional orders and 335,000 members of professional orders. The Office's role is to adapt the system to today's needs, to monitor mechanisms, including credential recognition, and to adapt laws and regulations. There are over 23 professional laws and over 600 regulations governing this sector.
Professional orders have long been interested in credential recognition mechanisms. Initially, a degree entitled a person to receive a license. Training sanctioned by a diploma gave a person the right to practise a profession. Provision for this is made in government regulations. From the outset, however, it was generally acknowledged that there were others ways for a person to be qualified. The credentials of a person from outside Quebec could be recognized and that person could be granted a license.
In 1994, each of Quebec's 45 professional orders was required to adopt regulations concerning diploma or training equivalency, so that an internationally trained person, or someone who trained in Quebec but did not received a degree, could be licensed.
The world, however, is changing. Thirty-six years later, we talk about labour mobility and requirements. We want to attract immigrants more and more of them come knocking on our doors. We need to adapt and to improve our procedures. But at the same time, we continue to demand of professionals a certain level of competence. It is important for us to continue to rigorously assess credentials, recognizing as best we can the qualifications of internationally trained workers. So then, the pressure is on to adapt professional system mechanisms that were invented in a different era.
The Professional Code was again amended in 2006. New types of licenses were created. A person may now be issued a license to practice if he holds a license issued in another province. This right forms the basis of the agreement on labour mobility in Canada. Restricted licenses may also be issued to persons who have received specialized training in the field of education, for example, or research. Temporary licenses may also be issued to students of a particular profession.
In 2007, to counter anticipated labour shortages, the Quebec government launched a labour mobility strategy that identified five major priorities, two of which concern us at this time.
First of all, the France-Quebec agreement on foreign credential recognition which was signed exactly one year ago is an international first. The agreement provides for a special, fast-track process that orders can use to recognize the credentials of workers trained outside Quebec. This is a new concept: competence is evaluated on the basis of equivalency of types of training and fields of practice, and if substantial differences are noted, provision will be made for compensation measures.
Another priority for Quebec is the fast-tracking of professional qualification recognition. I have the honour of chairing a committee looking into this matter which brings together representatives from several departments, namely Education, Immigration and Health and Employment.
One area that we are most interested in is how to recognize experience over and above professional training.
Regarding the time limit for processing recognition applications, there is no denying that the process is a lengthy one. Professional orders have often been accused by the media of being the parties mainly responsible for delays. Significant improvements are being made to the process and all of Quebec's professional orders are mindful of the importance of improving the quality of procedures. However, we cannot forget the stakeholders other than the professional orders who are involved in this recognition process. Obviously, as mentioned earlier, there is the Department of Immigration which has a responsibility to properly inform applicants at the outset of the lengthy process involved in having their professional credentials recognized here in Canada.
I have to say that Quebec's Department of Immigration and Cultural Communities has posted on its website up to date information that professional orders and the department consult extensively to ensure that foreign candidates are well informed. As well, the candidate himself has a responsibility to ensure that his file is up to date and that all supporting documentation is provided. Most orders have told us that once they have a candidate's complete file, it takes less than one year, and often only a few weeks, to recognize professional equivalency.
Educational institutions are another very important player in this process. When a person's credentials are not recognized, or are only partially recognized, some skill upgrading may be needed to acquire the missing qualifications. Unfortunately, access to booster training is, to put it mildly, relatively difficult at this time, whether at the university or college level.
The Office is currently working with all government partners and authorities representing educational institutions to implement solutions to this problems
And finally, the last partner to play a role in the smooth integration of new immigrants is the labour force. Simply having a license is not a surefire guarantee of a job. Some work still needs to be done in this area.
In conclusion, Quebec's professional system must be mindful of both fast-tracking the professional recognition process and protecting the public at the same time. Fast-tracking credential recognition must never come at the expense of the required quality and competence. The professional system has been grappling with this challenge for several years and I must stress here that a number of stakeholders are involved in this process.
So then, let me assure you that Quebec is working hard to fast-track the professional qualification recognition process. We keep a watchful eye on steps being taken elsewhere in the world and we look to these initiatives for inspiration to continue modernizing the professional system and innovating in the field of professional qualification recognition.
Thank you for your attention.