Ottawa, ON – Brad Redekopp, Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Immigration released the following statement on the introduction of Bill C-286, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (recognition of foreign credentials) which will create a concrete framework for recognizing foreign-earned credentials for skilled immigrants:

“Canada is in the midst of skilled labour shortage.

“Facing an ageing labour force and rapidly evolving work environments, a recent report estimated the skilled labour shortage in Canada cost the economy $25 billion in 2020, up from $15 billion in 2015.

“It is clear the country can’t afford typical inaction from the Liberal government to address this critical issue. A common-sense approach to filling these needed jobs is to ensure new Canadians have the opportunity to find roles in the fields they’ve trained in.

“Currently, foreign credential recognition is a provincial responsibility. Standards vary between provinces, and they are often unclear to Canadian newcomers. In addition to creating a strong, functional relationship between federal, provincial, and territorial accreditation boards, this law will develop a system to recognize education and training from foreign institutions as equivalents to Canadian programs.

“The knowledge, experience, and value immigrants can provide is being wasted by the Trudeau government’s short-sightedness. Federal-provincial cooperation on standardized credential equivalencies for professions like teaching, engineering, and the trades would make it easier for skilled newcomers to find jobs in their chosen fields and help address the skilled labour crisis here in Canada.

“Conservatives continue to be the voice for common-sense ideas to tackle Trudeau’s cost-of-living crisis. Conservatives want Canada to be the best country in the world for newcomers to find a good, well-paying jobs. Developing a system to have accreditations and credentials recognized will help fill vacant jobs, grow the economy, and make Canada more prosperous.”