Pierre Poilievre lamented workers who immigrate to Canada are spending far too long waiting to get licensed in their related fields. Poilievre held a press conference on Monday morning that drew attention to the issue..The candidate for the Conservative party leadership announced he plans to create incentives for provinces to cut cumbersome and slow-moving bureaucracy so incoming professionals and tradespeople can transfer their country-of-origin licence status for its Canadian equivalent quickly and more efficiently..He said he believes skilled newcomers should have to waste no time getting back to work and earning a paycheque commensurate with their experience and skill level..“Canada has always been a beacon of opportunity for immigrants. We welcome over 400,000 new Canadians every year, eager to contribute to their new communities and benefit from our country’s economic opportunity to support their families,” said Poilievre..“Many of these new Canadians have critical training and skills that our country sorely lacks. But there’s a problem — government gatekeepers are in the way.” .Labour shortages remain unaddressed for too long, according to Poilievre, and he pointed out skilled immigrants are languishing while they wait..“Getting licensed in some regulated professions can take more than 18 months. Instead of earning pay cheques and helping Canadian businesses tackle labour shortages, hardworking immigrants are forced to wait in limbo without a concrete timeline for their licensing to be processed,” the press release said..It’s not only civilians who are facing bureaucratic red tape in this context, so too are ex-service men and women who seek work in their related fields after leaving the Canadian Armed Forces..Poilievre released details of a four-point policy effort that he plans to introduce, should he become Canada’s next prime minister.. Poilievre determined to fast-track immigrant professional and trade licensing .The first policy, called the 60-Day Guarantee, would create incentives for provinces and territories to make a decision within 60 days of receiving a licence application from a worker..“A Poilievre government will incentivize provinces to mandate occupational licensing bodies to grant immigrants who prove qualified in their trade or professions a license to work within 60 days of applying. If the licensing body requires testing to prove competency, the newcomer must get the chance to challenge the test and get the result within 60 days. Those applicants whose qualifications fall short would get a report within 60 days telling them what training or testing they need to work in their field,” said Poilivre..His second policy, the so-called Merit-Based Licensing, would encourage provincial governments to recognize an applicant’s merit and competence rather than place emphasis on the location of the applicant’s place of education and qualification..“A Poilievre government will work with willing provinces to mandate licensing bodies to grant credentials based on a single proof of ability through testing and other skills exams that everyone — regardless of where they studied — must pass. Newcomers should be asked to meet the same competency standard as Canadian-trained professionals and tradespeople — no less and no more,” the release said..The third policy objective plans to offer immigrants the opportunity to obtain their Canadian credentials before departing their home country to move to Canada..“This will empower aspiring immigrants to work on getting licensed while they are waiting to get approved for work permits and visas, so they hit the ground running upon arrival with good jobs and pay cheques,” Poilievre said..Lastly, Poilievre outlined his strategy to tackle the financial challenges faced by many newcomers in the form of study loans that would offer a leg-up for those who need to acquire additional skills to qualify for their professional or trade licence..“Many immigrants need a few extra courses or tests to secure their professional or trades licenses, but cannot afford fees or time off work and can’t get conventional loans because they have not had time to build collateral or credit history since coming to Canada. A Poilievre government would back small loans made by private and charitable sectors for newcomers to get textbooks, training, testing and time off work to get professional and trades licenses,” the press release said..According to the Royal Bank of Canada, there are currently 870,000 unfilled positions throughout Canada and more than a third of businesses in the country are struggling with employee shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic also created setbacks for Canadian companies that were already experiencing labour shortfalls before the pandemic began..Amanda Brown is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.abrown@westernstandardonline.com
