Human Resources committee  If you are a Canadian, you are only required to take the pharmacy board exam. You are not required to pass the equivalency exam. It's just foreign pharmacy graduates who are required to take the equivalency.

Human Resources committee  The equivalency exam is more difficult than the board exam.

Human Resources committee  Yes, that is my suggestion.

Human Resources committee  In my case, as I mentioned earlier, there are no special courses offered in Nova Scotia, as in other provinces. This was one of my proposals, that refresher courses would be offered to newly arrived immigrants, in order for them to prepare for the required examinations. This is the main proposal I am suggesting to the committee.

Human Resources committee  It is one of the factors required in becoming an immigrant to Canada. That's just one, but there are other factors.

Human Resources committee  I was aware they required an equivalency exam, but I was not expecting it to be that difficult.

Human Resources committee  I would suggest that if they would only allow us to take the board exam, then we have a greater chance of making it, because the equivalency exam is more on organic chemistry, which is actually not essential to the practice of pharmacy in this present-day world. You can ask even the licensed pharmacists here in Canada if they should adapt their exams more to the situation we have in the present world.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, sir.

Human Resources committee  I have shared my opinions with most of the Canadians here, even the licensed pharmacies, and they have told me that even they would not be able to pass the equivalency exam. That's what I've heard from them. It's a requirement, so I have to go through it.

Human Resources committee  Actually, I am a member of the Filipino Association of Nova Scotia, but I just came here to share with you my experience in Canada. The title of my brief is “Why Canada Should Give Her Immigrants a Chance for a Better Life by Recognizing their Foreign Credentials”. It is my objective to show the committee that it is vital for the government to break down the walls that prevent qualified immigrants from working in jobs that are in line with their training.