Provincial regulatory bodies that make accreditation and licensing decisions were criticized by focus group participants for their basic ignorance of Filipino institutions and qualifications; arbitrariness in application of standards, high cost of enrolment in upgrading courses, and the failure to recognize even third country, including U.S., experience.

Low-paying jobs

Many Filipino professionals thus end up in jobs far below their educational qualifications and skills, training and experience. Half of the survey respondents said they were “overqualified” for their current jobs. This situation applies to both the old-timers as well as newcomers, thus shattering the popularly bandied myth that only the newcomers find difficulty accessing their trades and professions.

Fifty-three percent of post-1990 arrivals said they were overqualified while 41 percent of pre-1990 arrivals said they were overqualified in their present jobs.

In the focus groups, criticism was directed against Canada’s immigration policy and practice of bringing in the best and the brightest immigrants from the Philippines and other countries through their strict point system. Most of these immigrants, however, are not absorbed in jobs commensurate to their education and training, with the end result of immigrants ending up as a source of high quality cheap labour in Canada.

Focus group discussions were held with engineers, accountants, nurses, and with a group of mixed professions, both regulated and unregulated.

The CASJ petitioned the legislature of Ontario to amend the bill in these areas:

*Provincial regulatory boards’ policies and practices should be reviewed and changed to allow for a highly informed, professional, fair and efficient accreditation process.
*Governments of all three levels should provide effective social supports for immigrants to allow them to settle and find appropriate jobs commensurate to their foreign education, training and experience. The Federal live-in-Caregiver Program (LCP) should be reformed to allow applicants to enter Canada as skilled immigrants, thus allowing them access to housing and social service supports, legal services and labour protection: to train toward eventually practising their professions and trades; and to bring their families with them (thus eliminating the serious social costs of reunification after long years of family separation.) The Provincial Government should thus work with the federal government to change this program, to allow caregivers to come as landed immigrants, so they are not hampered by so many restrictions that result in their denial of access to social supports, legal supports, and training opportunities.
*Provide legal, professional and academic assistance to new Canadians seeking recognition of credentials. This includes provision of trained advocates, without charge to applicants, to present the cases of applicants before the regulatory appeal tribunal.
*Fully establish a “Fair Registration Code” in the legislation. The strict point system established by the Canadian government to bring the brightest and the best from other countries to Canada must be considered in allowing foreign-trained professionals to practise their professions commensurate to their training and experience after passing fair and acceptable accreditation standards.
*The province should provide government subsidized loans to foreign-trained professionals so that they can utilize their skills and enable them to practise their professions, provide the much needed services for Ontarians and participate in nation building.
*Grant education points to foreign-trained nurses and other professionals so they can come in as immigrants and not through the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
*Establish a department within the Access Centre established by the act which will fairly evaluate the equivalence of standards between regulatory bodies and educational institutions in different countries and in Ontario. Regulatory bodies will be provided with these data to assist them in determining equivalence of credentials. The Filipino community should be represented in the Access Centres and in the Regulatory Boards.

Among the various professional associations that spoke during the three-day Toronto hearings were: the directors and chief executives of The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Professional Engineers of Ontario, Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh, The Chinese Canadian National Council, Canadian Tamil Congress, Registered Nurses of Ontario, Ontario Association of Architects, Certified Management Accountants of Ontario, Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Services Workers, Ontario Federation of Labour, Care Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses, College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario.

Other professional groups from the entire Province of Ontario are slated to submit oral and written recommendations to the Ontario Legislative Committee till December. So far, CASJ is the sole representative from the Filipino community granted official standing on the hearings regarding Bill 124. (Bulatlat.com)

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