Getting Our Doctor-Act Together

The federal government's determination to alter current immigration standards continues to be criticized by opposition parties in parliament. But the current unworkability of the system underscores the need to progress to the next step. The federal government has its eye on countries like Australia and New Zealand, where applications for landed immigrant status can be processed in six months - as opposed to Canada's, where the same process can take six to ten years.

To expedite the process, the government has identified the viability of "occupational filters" as a primary tool in selecting prospective immigrants who will benefit the country through a combination of education, age, workplace experience and commitment to personal advancement. There's nothing particularly new in the utilization of such filters; Canada has always used them to produce high acceptability points. It's merely that a greater emphasis will be placed on the process.

Which would mean that other immigration sectors such as "family class", relating to family re-unification where successful landed immigrants are permitted to sponsor other family members may receive a numerical set-back. But as the Immigration Minister, Diane Finley, explained to a House of Commons committee, "We're facing real and serious international competition for the talents and skills that we need to fill the jobs that are waiting to be filled here in Canada."

Right. We've many job opportunities for skilled and educated immigrants. And the government has indicated that it intends to favour applications from the ranks of professionals, such as engineers, scientists, doctors - without yet releasing a list of priority occupations. But as it happens, Canada is experiencing a dire need for additional doctors and nurses to serve its population.

Yet the reality is that, while it's estimated five million Canadians are without a family physician, and 26,000 additional doctors are required, something is wrong in the State of Denial. The fact is, Canada has accepted a plethora, a veritable landslide of various types of professionals, from chemists, to pharmacists to physicians to lawyers, and very few of them are deemed to be professionally accredited to practise in Canada.

Canada does not make it easy for foreign-accredited professionals to practise their trade in this country. Professional accreditation agencies in Canada aren't falling all over themselves in enthusiasm to assist foreign-trained and -accredited professionals to achieve Canadian accreditation standards. The result being that confused and bemused immigrant-professionals find themselves locked out of their professions, and working at subsistence jobs.

Of the 1,486 foreign-trained Canadian and permanent resident doctors only 20% succeeded in being matched with residency positions at Canada's teaching hospitals. University hospitals claim they haven't the space, and instead of making space so that doctors can be trained and accredited and go out into the towns and cities across Canada that desperately need their services, they accept trainees from foreign countries.

Whose countries pay handsomely for their nationals on foreign visas, to study and train at Canadian university hospitals. And when their period of training has been completed, and they've achieved the required experience they will then depart back to their countries of origin. How does this benefit Canada? The universities bring in cash, train foreign doctors, but refuse space to Canadian professionals.

Seems the government bureaucracy should get together with university bureaucrats and have a thoroughly good discussion about vital priorities and values. We're just running around endlessly like hamsters on a mindless activity wheel, otherwise.