the CanadaVisa Team - 05 August, 2015
The proposed new Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) between Canadian provinces and territories will make it easier for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to obtain work outside of their home provinces/territories.
"No matter where a Canadian lives in this great country, they can move to a different province, take their skills with them, their profession, and be able to work within the country of Canada without any barriers,” stated Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.
In order to work in the Canadian province or territory in which they land, newcomers need to have their internationally-obtained education and work experience credentials assessed; and in some cases, need to obtain accreditation and licensing to work in their field in that province/territory.
Presently, licensing requirements for regulated occupations (such as doctors, engineers, electricians, plumbers, etc.) differ across provinces and territories, making inter-provincial labour mobility challenging for some Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents.
During their two-day annual conference, the Premiers of the Canadian provinces and territories have eased this difficulty by signing this new labour mobility accord. They intend to amend the internal trade agreement by January 1, 2009 in order to have full labour mobility by April 1, 2009, at which time they will implement an agreement to accept credentials from other provinces/territories. Certain professions, however, will be exempted.
"There are serious mobility constraints in about 25% of jobs in Canada, so our task is to smooth away those last difficulties to create the most stimulating market," said Quebec Premier Jean Charest.
At their conference, the Premiers also called on the federal government to commit more resources to dealing with the backlog of immigration applicants who are waiting to get into Canada.
"It is unacceptable as it is right now," Mr. Charest added, noting that many of those waiting for a visa to come to Canada are workers who are badly needed in labour-tight industries.
