“Canadian Experience” a systemic unfair employment barrier to new immigrants

[aamirkhj]

Internationally educated new comer professionals to Canada are facing two common systemic unfair employment barriers, 1) credentials not recognized, 2) wealth of knowledge and experience they bring from the world is not valued by the employers in Canada. The irony is internationally educated professional were granted permanent resident status due to their credentials and experience along with their professional skills.

“Some employers are using the Canadian experience requirement as a proxy for discrimination, which they know is illegal. But even when hidden, discrimination in employment is still against the law,” OHRC Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall told a news conference.

“The policy we are launching can help remove these barriers and give employers and regulatory bodies the tools they need to respect human rights. The starting point . . . is a simple one: insisting on Canadian experience is discrimination under the Human Rights Code.”

I have posted a petition online at change.org to address this to all Federal and Provincial government so far 1,180 Plus people have signed the petition, this petition has received support from across Canada and around the world and it is growing at an amazing pace, I will encourage any one on this forum to add their voice to the petition please do so by following the link and sign the petition to support new immigrants economic issue so we can showcase to the federal and provincial governments that every new immigrants is a facing this illegal practice of "Canadian Experience" in Canada and it is an economic barrier for new immigrants employment opportunity.

Go to change.org and search for “Canadian Experience” a systemic unfair employment barrier to new comers" you will find the petition.

 

[sana123]

signed

 

[aamirkhj]

Thank you Sana, for signing the petition, it is great to see this forum is supporting the petition.

 

[on-hold]

I support this -- I also suspect that it will be impossible to change, because the mechanism by which this discrimination is maintained is informal, and not connected to the public sector. If a qualified immigrant applies to 20 jobs and does not receive an interview, what relief should they receive? Do you have something in mind like Affirmative Action in the United States, where a pattern of not interviewing minority candidates, or not employing minority candidates, leads to legal action or loss of government contracts?

If we could select any single barrier to employment to remove, that might be much simpler, I would choose licensing requirements that vary between provinces. It's simply absurd that basic reciprocity does not exist between Canadian jurisdictions -- a nurse aide license from Nova Scotia should be acceptable in Saskatchewan. This would benefit immigrants more than any other group, since they are more desperate for jobs, more mobile, and find themselves pinned down where they first landed by the fact that they are receiving training there.

 

[aamirkhj]

on-hold, thanks for supporting, I agree with your analysis, however we need to document this silent discrimination and petition is the best way to document as a testimony.

 

[on-hold]

No, I agree and I'm not criticizing the effort -- we're talking about the same kind of informal barriers that systematic racism can put up, though I don't believe that anti-immigrant prejudice is racist, per se. I think the most effective remedy, at least now, would be some sort of encouragement to simply consider immigrants, not write them off automatically. Not sure how that would work -- but at the same time, there is an onus on immigrants to bring something new to the situation. If they don't, then they have uncertain training, a different culture, and often an accent and different manners.

It's also necessary to remember that 'foreign credentials' are not a single thing. There's a difference between a South African doctor and a Kirghiz doctor. The latter might be perfectly competent, but she comes from an educational tradition that is far from the British, and has to be able to demonstrate her competence. If she is competent, then the system should give her a real pathway to become licensed.

 

[aamirkhj]

on-hold, I agree with your example of "South African doctor and a Kirghiz doctor" about the difference in learning environment, however UK has made it simple to answer your question, in UK they give paid internships to all International Medical Graduates(IMG) in their medial profession under the supervision of licensed doctor and after a year an IMG can write an exam and his professional experience is attested by the UK base doctor if he or she is fit to work in UK medical profession.

This is not a rocket science similar format can be applied in Canada so we don't have to wait in the emergency department for 8 to 10 hrs every day. Remember one thing the doctors comes from South Africa or Kirghiz have learn to do their professional job without much high tech systems, their medical expertise rely on human symptoms than on computer base reports, over here the doctor does not even touch the patient until they are assured by the computer base report what problem the patient is facing. If the system tells them nothing they have little clue to find remedies. International Trained Medical Graduates have more human knowledge then Canadian doctors.

Just food for thought!

 

[on-hold]

on-hold, I agree with your example of "South African doctor and a Kirghiz doctor" about the difference in learning environment, however UK has made it simple to answer your question, in UK they give paid internships to all International Medical Graduates(IMG) in their medial profession under the supervision of licensed doctor and after a year an IMG can write an exam and his professional experience is attested by the UK base doctor if he or she is fit to work in UK medical profession.

This is not a rocket science similar format can be applied in Canada so we don't have to wait in the emergency department for 8 to 10 hrs every day. Remember one thing the doctors comes from South Africa or Kirghiz have learn to do their professional job without much high tech systems, their medical expertise rely on human symptoms than on computer base reports, over here the doctor does not even touch the patient until they are assured by the computer base report what problem the patient is facing. If the system tells them nothing they have little clue to find remedies. International Trained Medical Graduates have more human knowledge then Canadian doctors.

Just food for thought!

I agree with every single thing that you write here -- we really fetishize medical training. The key is having a realistic road to approval.

 

[sharat_joshi77]

I also support this. I have been a victim of this myself.
Also, there has been an initiative taken by Human rights agencies in Ontario to remove this barrier in employment of new immigrants.

Check out these links:

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-removing-%E2%80%9Ccanadian-experience%E2%80%9D-barrier
http://www.slaw.ca/2013/07/25/fair-access-to-work-removing-the-canadian-experience-employment-barrier/

However, it has been into the system so much that it happens without anyone doing it explicitly.
Anyways, I also hope that it changes soon and new immigrants are considered equal during employment.

 

[on-hold]

The part about removing local experience from regulated professions is very valuable -- now they should do that between provinces as well!

But the first link will have no effect, it is just suggestions for employers to follow. If employers don't want to, it will be easy to avoid.

 

[aamirkhj]

I also support this. I have been a victim of this myself.

Thank you for supporting it, please do encourage your circle of friends to sign it as well, so far 1200 plus signature received to support the petition.

 

[aamirkhj]

1200 Plus had signed the petition against “Canadian Experience” a systemic unfair employment barrier to new immigrants to Canada

With great pleasure, I would like to inform you that more and more new comers to Canada and local Canadians are speaking up, against “Canadian Experience”, a systemic unfair employment barrier to new comer's human rights.

1200 + plus had signed the petition online so far, this petition is
growing with the great pace, It is great to see local Canadians are fully
supporting this petition to help the new comers to Canada for a better
economic life in Canada. I had received signature from across Canada and
beyond borders now. This petition is getting the attention worldwide
without any media support.

Thanks to everyone who signed the petition in great numbers, a sustained growth of signatures for this petition from across Canada will
transform this petition to a nation wide movement of justice for better
economic and equal opportunities for the new comers to Canada.

This can only be possible if we keep encouraging everyone around us who has not signed the petition yet, to request them to sign, support and promote this petition of “Canadian Experience” a systemic unfair employment barrier to new comers”.

Together as One Voice we can be heard strongly where it matters the most and our voice can help the new comers to Canada.

If you know any one who may like to support the initiative please do invite them at the following page and ask for their support

Go to change.org and type "one voice Canada" in the search field and you will have the petition.



Thank you for your support and promoting this petition in your circle of influence.

 

[aamirkhj]

Thanks to all members of this group we have reached to 1251 signatures, I have received comments from all over Canada and around the world. All immigrants regardless of their country of origin are facing common employability barriers. Ontario Human Rights Commission has now recognized "Canadian Experience" as a discrimination. Collectively as one voice we can stop this silent discrimination in the workforce.

Please spread the following link to your friends and family circle and invite them to sign the petition, I am sure very soon local and international media will notice this petition and then Federal and Provincial politicians will start taking immigrants' employability barriers seriously.

 

[0neTw0]

Thanks to all members of this group we have reached to 1251 signatures, I have received comments from all over Canada and around the world. All immigrants regardless of their country of origin are facing common employability barriers. Ontario Human Rights Commission has now recognized "Canadian Experience" as a discrimination. Collectively as one voice we can stop this silent discrimination in the workforce.

Sorry if you do not write back, but tell me where I can not complain about the unfair employer

 

[aamirkhj]

Sorry if you do not write back, but tell me where I can not complain about the unfair employer

To me where ever the employers are unfair, voice should be raised against them, asking “Canadian Experience” from candidates who have "world experience" is discrimination and that is why it is illegal to practice in the labour market.