Goverment
unique challenges of newcomers who want to join professions and trades in this province,” explains Ontario Fairness Commissioner (OFC) Irwin Glasberg, adding that Ontario was the first province to adopt fairness legislation nearly 16 years ago. “Our immigration policies welcome the best and brightest from other countries to come to Canada, and there’s a particular emphasis on identifying well-trained, skilled and educated individuals.” Upon arrival in Canada, internationally trained professionals naturally seek to make a living applying the trade or profession for which they were trained in their home countries. Since newcomers arrive from various countries with differing standards, there’s a process for registration into fields of employment that involves regulators testing and assessing proficiencies and competencies. “Unless this is done thoughtfully and professionally, you’ll have many people who will never achieve their aspirations in this country, which is both a tragedy for them and their families from a social perspective, but also discounts their skills as contributors to the Canadian economy,” says Glasberg. Beyond that, it limits Canada’s labour potential. An arm’s-length agency of the Ontario government that once reported to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade, Glasberg’s office currently reports to the Ministry
of Labour, Training and Skills Development and oversees the registration practices of 40 regulators, 26 of which are health colleges. The OFC office is independent of its regulated professions and trades. In principle, there’s no reason why additional industries, like those regulated by delegated administrative authorities, couldn’t be added to the professions under OFC’s oversight. “In the future, this could be something that occurs,” says Glasberg. “At the moment, we have our hands full.” He adds that professions and health colleges that are the initial focus of Ontario’s fairness legislation tend to be much more established economic groupings. For example, nurses, physicians, engineers, and teachers are likely to have analogous educational programs and recognition of professionals in other countries. The OFC’s mandate includes assessing the registration processes of regulated professions and initiating audits; advising regulatory bodies about their registration processes and setting guidelines for yearly reporting obligations; and advising provincial government ministries about issues relating to the professions and compulsory trades in their portfolios. “Our legislation precludes us from getting involved in individual complaints. That’s the domain of the professional regulator,” explains Glasberg. “We get
76 theregistrar.ca
spring edition 2021
