NEWS
PEO BECOMES FIRST TO REMOVE CANADIAN EXPERIENCE UNDER FARPACTA Ontario Minister Monte McNaughton praised PEO’s May 15 removal of Canadian experience from its licensing requirements. By Adam Sidsworth
At a press conference organized by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) on May 23 in downtown Toronto, PEO was praised for being the first professional regulator to relinquish Canadian professional experience from its licensing requirements as part of compliance with recently passed provincial regulations. “Today, I am proud to announce that Professional Engineers Ontario is the first association to remove the Canadian work experience from the application criteria following our legislation,” noted MLITSD Minister Monte McNaughton. “This move is a game changer that will help thousands of immigrant engineers pursue their dreams over the coming years, all while maintaining Ontario’s world-class licensing and exam requirements.” PEO formally stopped requiring applicants for licensure to demonstrate Canadian engineering experience on May 15 to become compliant with amendments to the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act (FARPACTA). Under the amended legislation, PEO, along with more than 30 other professional regulators in Ontario, must demonstrate fair licensing processes to the Office of the Fairness Commissioner, make licensing decisions within certain deadlines by July 1 and eliminate any Canadian experience requirements by December 2. Noting that engineers in Ontario earn over $100,000 and fill over 7000 engineering jobs, McNaughton added: “Immigrants are crucial to our culture and our economy. They build business that we rely on. They help address the historic labour shortage we face. But it’s an alltoo-common experience that when newcomers arrive, the discriminatory barriers keep them from practising their chosen skills or profession and living the life they dreamed of.” McNaughton held the press conference at The Well, a partially open retail, office and residential complex still under construction on the west side of Toronto’s downtown core. When completed, the complex will host 320,000 square feet of retail and food services, 1.2 million square feet of office space and 1700 residential units. According to The Well’s general manager, Anthony Casalanguida, who introduced Minister McNaughton, The Well is Canada’s largest construction project. Joining McNaughton from Queen’s Park at the press conference were Sheref Sabawy, parliamentary assistant to the minister of public and business service delivery and MPP for Mississauga–Erin Mills; and Deepak Anand, parliamentary assistant to Minister McNaughton and
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Engineering Dimensions
“THIS MOVE IS A GAME CHANGER THAT WILL HELP THOUSANDS OF IMMIGRANT ENGINEERS PURSUE THEIR DREAMS OVER THE COMING YEARS, ALL WHILE MAINTAINING ONTARIO’S WORLD-CLASS LICENSING AND EXAM REQUIREMENTS.”—ONTARIO MINISTER MONTE MCNAUGHTON MPP for Mississauga–Malton. Coincidentally, Anand earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering in India but ultimately pursued a different career path when he immigrated to Canada in 2000. PEO SHIFTS FROM GEOGRAPHY TO COMPETENCY Representing PEO at the news conference was PEO Vice President Christopher Chahine, P.Eng., PMP, who noted: “As a body created by the legislature over 100 years ago to regulate the practice of professional engineering in Ontario, Professional Engineers Ontario has always considered public protection as being of paramount importance. We continue to serve the public interest by ensuring all professional engineers meet the rigorous qualifications and that only properly qualified and ethical individuals practise engineering.” Also observing that PEO typically has 60 per cent of its applications for licensure come from international engineering graduates, Chahine added: “We removed the requirement for Canadian engineering experience, and we expedited this into effect as of May 15. By moving to this important change and moving to a model that focuses on competency rather than geography, PEO will effectively ensure that qualified, experienced and ethical international applicants who bring their skills and talents to Ontario can be licensed more quickly than before so they can actively contribute to the economy as professional engineers.” ACKNOWLEDGING LICENSING CHANGES McNaughton and Chahine were also joined by Sara Asalya, executive director of Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto; and Hiba Al Nasseri, finance manager of Madison Community Services. Both Asayla and Al Nasseri are aware of the struggles of internationally trained professionals to become employed in their chosen fields in Canada. Asalya thanked McNaughton for his leadership and further acknowledged PEO as the first regulator to comply with the legislation’s requirement to drop requirements for Canadian experience. “I want to take the opportunity to thank Professional Engineers Ontario for swiftly responding to changes in the legislation and removing their Canadian experience requirement from their application process,” Asalya said. “As an immigrant myself, I experienced firsthand the many challenges and barriers, especially when trying to access the labour market. It’s no secret that the Canadian experience has been—and continues to be—a key barrier for many immigrants, especially for those from the regulated professions.”
Summer 2023