NDP tables new bill to address 'broken' international credential system

The bill wants trained health workers to enter their fields faster in Ontario

BY Dexter Tilo 10 Mar. 2022

The Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) has introduced a new bill that seeks to "fix" what it described as a "broken" international credential system for trained health workers. The "Fairness for Ontario's Internationally Trained Workers Act," introduced by Member of Provincial Parliament Doly Begum and joined by Opposition leader Andrea Horwath, seeks to compel the government to fix the foreign credentials system in Ontario so more people can work in the field faster.

The bill was introduced amid a "broken" credential system in Ontario, according to Horwath, where highly skilled healthcare workers are "forced to watch from the sidelines" because being certified in the province can take "literally years."

"Ontario's international credential system is broken. The NDP will fix it, and get people excellent health care faster," said the Opposition leader.

In a statement from the NDP, the bill seeks to implement the following courses of action:

Compel the Ministry of Labour to establish an advisory Committee for Employment access, fairness, and experience recognition for internationally educated non-regulated professionals.
Compel the Ministry of Health to establish an advisory Committee to advise on changes to the credential recognition and work experience processes available for internationally trained regulated healthcare professionals.
Within 90 days of passing, the relevant ministries must appoint members to each advisory group. The relevant ministries must also make the appointments public.
Within one year of passing, the advisory groups must publish their progress report.

The NDP said it plans to fix the barrier of required local experience with a job-matching programme help internationally trained physicians get local experience.

It also plans to assist internationally educated nurses on gaining recognition of their international clinical experiences.

"Ontario is home to people from all over the world, many of whom come here seeking safety, security and hope for a better life. And Ontario desperately needs health care workers. Fixing the international credentials system is a win-win," said Begum.

According to NDP, they will consult with internationally trained professionals, regulatory bosies, professional association, settlement organisations, and employment organisations to further develop its detailed plan.