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Bill 98, Fairness for Ontario's Internationally Trained Workers Act, 2022

Begum, Doly

Harden, Joel

Kernaghan, Terence

Rakocevic, Tom

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Status

Debates

Original

Bill 98 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill enacts the Fairness for Ontario’s Internationally

Trained Workers Act, 2022 . The Act provides that the Minister of Labour,

Training and Skills Development shall establish a Foreign Credential

Recognition Advisory Committee that shall make recommendations to the Minister

regarding the employment of internationally trained workers. The Act also provides

that the Minister of Health shall establish an Internationally Trained and

Educated Healthcare Professions Advisory Committee that shall make

recommendations to the Minister regarding the employment of internationally

trained and educated healthcare professionals.

Bill 98 2022

Act to establish a framework for the recognition of internationally trained and

educated workers in Ontario

Preamble

Internationally

trained and educated professionals face barriers and challenges in the

workforce upon immigrating to Canada. In Ontario, highly skilled and educated

professionals who arrive through skill-based programs such as the Ontario

Immigrant Nominee Program and Express Entry confront multiple obstacles when

trying to find work in Ontario, including receiving credential recognition,

navigating discriminatory hiring practices, acquiring Canadian experience and

building familiarity with the Canadian job market in their professional field.

This leaves internationally trained professionals across various sectors,

especially healthcare, without recognition of their credentials, experiences

and training, making it difficult for them to succeed in Ontario. Many

immigrants undergo deskilling as well as immense mental health and financial

pressures as they navigate the system.

The

lack of support for internationally trained and educated workers in

non-regulated professions as well as regulated healthcare professions leads to

underemployment, loss of income and tax revenue for the province and labour

shortages. One such impact has been the noticeable shortage of healthcare

workers throughout this pandemic.

Therefore,

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of

the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Foreign

Credential Recognition Advisory Committee

(1) The

Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development shall, no more than 90 days

after the day this

section comes into force, establish a Foreign Credential

Recognition Advisory Committee.

Composition

(2) The

Foreign Credential Recognition Advisory Committee shall be composed of members

appointed by the Minister.

Same

(3) The

Minister shall ensure that the Foreign Credential Recognition Advisory

Committee includes members of the following groups:

1. Representatives

from local immigration partnerships and settlement organization non-profits

that serve immigrants.

2. Representatives

from language access organizations.

3. Internationally

educated non-regulated professionals.

Remuneration

and expenses

(4) The

Lieutenant Governor in Council may determine the remuneration and expenses of

any person appointed under subsection (2).

Appropriation

required

(5) Subsection

(4) does not apply unless money has been appropriated by the Legislature for

the purpose of that subsection.

Foreign

Credential Recognition Advisory Committee — functions

(1) The

Foreign Credential Recognition Advisory Committee shall inquire into the

following matters and make relevant recommendations to the Minister:

1. Pathways to certifying and recognizing

the academic credentials of internationally educated immigrants with higher

education degrees, including those in the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

2. Ensuring

fair and non-discriminatory hiring practices that do not single out applicants

for having foreign degrees and other credentials.

3. Effective

approaches to supporting agencies and organizations that serve immigrants through

employment counselling.

Same

(2) The

Foreign Credential Recognition Advisory Committee shall determine which

published in for the purposes of subsection 5 (1).

Internationally

Trained and Educated Healthcare Professions Advisory Committee

(1) The

Minister of Health shall, no more than 90 days after the day this

section comes

into force, establish an Internationally Trained and Educated Healthcare

Professions Advisory Committee.

Composition

(2) The

Internationally Trained and Educated Healthcare Professions Advisory Committee shall

be composed of members appointed by the Minister.

Same

(3) The

Minister shall ensure that the Internationally Trained and Educated Healthcare

Professions Advisory Committee includes members of the following groups:

1. Representatives

from relevant regulatory, advisory and licensing bodies for all regulated

healthcare professions recognized by the Ministry of Health.

2. Representatives

from academic programs in Ontario that provide continuing education or bridging

programs for internationally trained healthcare professionals.

3. Representatives

from associations of internationally trained healthcare professions.

4. Representatives

from healthcare labour unions and associations.

Remuneration

and expenses

(4) The

Lieutenant Governor in Council may determine the remuneration and expenses of

any person appointed under subsection (2).

Appropriation

required

(5) Subsection

(4) does not apply unless money has been appropriated by the Legislature for

the purpose of that subsection.

Internationally

Trained and Educated Healthcare Professions Advisory Committee — functions

(1) The

Internationally Trained and Educated Healthcare Professions Advisory Committee shall

inquire into the following matters and make relevant recommendations to the

Minister:

1. Developing

provincially regulated practice-ready pathways in conjunction with the relevant

regulatory bodies for internationally trained regulated healthcare

professionals.

2. Developing

provincially regulated programs that provide relevant clinical experience for

internationally trained physicians looking to become licensed for practice.

3. Establishing

fair and non-discriminatory hiring practices for licensed and certified

internationally trained healthcare professionals.

Same

(2) The

Internationally Trained and Educated Healthcare Professions Advisory Committee

recommendations shall be published in for the purposes of subsection 5 (2).

Publication

(1) The

Minister shall publish the recommendations of the Foreign Credential

French and any additional languages the Advisory Committee has determined

appropriate in accordance with subsection 2 (2).

Same

(2) The

Minister shall publish the recommendations of the Internationally Trained and

Educated Healthcare Professions Advisory Committee on a Government of Ontario

has determined appropriate in accordance with subsection 4 (2).

Progress

report

(1) Within

one year of establishing the Foreign Credential Recognition Advisory Committee

in accordance with subsection 1 (1), the Minister of Labour, Training and

Skills Development shall develop a progress report based on the recommendations

from the Advisory Committee and submit the report to the Legislative Assembly.

Same

(2) Within

one year of establishing the Internationally Trained and Educated Healthcare

Professions Advisory Committee in accordance with subsection 3 (1), the

Minister of Health shall develop a progress report based on the recommendations

from the Advisory Committee and submit the report to the Legislative Assembly.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Fairness for Ontario’s

Internationally Trained Workers Act, 2022 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

March 24, 2022

Second Reading

Ordered referred to Standing Committee

Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly

March 24, 2022

Second Reading

Vote

Carried

March 24, 2022

Second Reading

Debated

March 9, 2022

First Reading

Vote

Carried

Debates and Progress

First Reading

March 9, 2022

Committee

Second Reading

March 24, 2022

Ms. Doly Begum, Ms. Rima Berns-McGown, Mme Lucille Collard, Mr. Deepak Anand, Ms. Marit Stiles, Mr. Tom Rakocevic, Mr. Joel Harden

Carried. Referred to the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly.

Committee

Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly

Third Reading

Royal Assent

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