(Montreal) Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre wants to create a national exam standard for health workers so those who have completed their education abroad can work in Canada.
Posted at 1:38pm
Clara Descurninges The Canadian Press
He announced this at a press conference in Ottawa on Sunday.
This so-called “Blue Seal” standard was inspired by the Red Seal test created in 1952. This allows workers in regulated professions – electricians, plumbers, mechanics, etc. – to have their skills recognized nationwide.
“We should determine the qualifications of our doctors through examinations […] not through big bureaucratic processes,” Poilievre stressed, arguing that some immigrants could wait up to nine years before being able to work in their field.
According to him, it would also harmonize standards between provinces and territories, allowing a doctor or nurse to practice from coast to coast.
With health being a provincial jurisdiction, the Conservative leader pledged that the introduction of the Blue Seal would be voluntary.
“A Poilievre government will seek an agreement with the provinces where an internationally trained professional can receive a response within 60 days of the completion of the audit,” he said.