National Mobility for Workers

Sunday, December 07, 2008 07:46 AM

Full labour mobility between provinces has been confirmed with agreement among Canada's labour and trade ministers, breaking down economic barriers and allowing Canadians and their families to move
freely throughout the country.

Premier Gordon Campbell says this mobility is critical to building our economic strength, particularly during challenging economic times.
"Full labour mobility will allow Canadians to move freely, taking advantage of job opportunities, and helps address long-term skilled worker shortages, such as we will face in B.C. This is an important step forward, and we need to continue to work on removing similar barriers to trade and investment, so we have full trade and labour mobility across the country."

The new labour mobility provisions require that, effective April 1, 2009, people with a specific professional or occupational certification in one province or territory will be recognized as qualified to practise their
profession in all provinces and territories where their profession or occupation is regulated.

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Posted on Sunday, December 07, 2008 07:46 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: lunarguy on December 7 2008 9:16 AM

What a great race to the bottom. Instead of being qualified for what is needed in your province, we now have to accept another province's people who are less qualified. There is a reason why there is differences between the provinces ! Instead they should make all provinces teach and test to the same level instead of opening it up to the less qualified is now equal to those who spent the time, effort and knowledge to become qualified.

Posted by: Born in BC on December 7 2008 9:46 AM

lunarguy is right. The skilled trades are the only ones that will be affected as they are the only ones that are regulated (possibly nurses or teachers?) by the governemnt. The professions are self regulated and I dont think that there are many inconsistencies anyway (ie doctors, lawyers and accountants are able to move interprovincially already). As I understand it BC skilled trades have always been considered superior to Alberta skilled trades, for instance.

Posted by: Outwest on December 7 2008 10:13 AM

10 Driving Permits One Country, you cant even agree on this, dont believe anything they tell you. Protectionism at his best!

Posted by: jonnypg on December 7 2008 10:26 AM

And it will be a race for BC when all those ontario people dont have jobs anymore!

Posted by: downnotout on December 7 2008 10:51 AM

to born in BC The trades have to pass an interprovincial exam before they can get their interprovincial ticket and having taken my trade in 2 provinces I ,has far as my trade is concerned, have to call you a liar. Just because you come from another place in Canada than BC does not make you any less qualified. As a matter of fact in this province their are some employers who actually demmand an out of province ticket before they will hire you.

Posted by: lunarguy on December 7 2008 11:15 AM

In the case of teachers, it used to be in BC that you needed a 4 year degree. Now a teacher from Alberta with only a 3 year degree is qualified in BC as well. No extra exams, no nothing, just come and get a job. A race to the least qualified is what is going on now.

Posted by: yellow shovel on December 7 2008 3:07 PM

It'll save me $200 for the books to study for an interprovincial ticket to work in Ft. McMoney. I'm ok with that.

Posted by: MacOldtimer on December 7 2008 3:15 PM

I think this is good news... a millwright is a millwright.. and electrician is an electrician... and so on... All the provinces teach what is needed to be qualified in that trade...As for saying they will be taking away jobs from BC hog wash... It will just make it a level playing field.. nothing wrong with a little competition... it actually makes you better at what you do.

Posted by: Harbinger on December 7 2008 5:46 PM

At least if you have a trade you know what kinda job you are out of.

Posted by: dow7500 on December 7 2008 8:21 PM

Lunarguy, your back wards take on this is why Canada trails so many other countries in productivity. Having the current Balkanized system achieves nothing but red tape, and trade association empires. What makes you think other Provinces have lower standards? Pure protectionism and it must change.

The same applies to securities regulators for every province. Companies that file for public offerings must get clearance in every province. Tell me what is the point of filing a prospectus in all provinces. The answer is every provincial regulator has built an empire that serves little purpose except to have an overpaid staff duplicating what every other province has already done.

Posted by: lunarguy on December 7 2008 9:11 PM

dow7500 I demonstrated already that other provinces have lower standards. Alberta and teacher qualifications for one. There are more.
I realize there are benefits to this way of being and if I had been a marginal worker all my life I would welcome this more but for those of us who achieved the qualifications that was needed in whatever province I wanted to live in it is kind of backwards to now say that anyone who meets the lowest bar, is now the standard.

Using this same logic, we should then throw open the doors and doctors and nurses trained in Africa, China or Europe should be allowed to work here without questioning their training or background either.

Posted by: dow7500 on December 7 2008 9:51 PM

I agree that we must maintain high and acceptable standards. But having doctors from India driving cabs in a doctor shortage makes little sense. We don't need them to retake all of medical school. Not sure why you feel Alberta has lower standards. Got any proof? Most trades don't have a whole different skill set from province to province. Are you saying a bc carpenter is more skilled than a Alberta carpenter.

Posted by: downnotout on December 8 2008 8:24 AM

the smart trades will take their interprovincal as soon as they are done there ticket but if this smoke and mirrors thing gets standardization across the labour force than it will be money well spent

Posted by: metalman on December 8 2008 6:00 PM

It is true that the schooling varies from province to province for the skilled trades, but as far as I know, that has never stopped an interprovincial red sael tradesman from working anywhere he she it wants to in the country.
metalman.