Ontario Supporting Worker Mobility Across Canada

 As part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario by building a more competitive and resilient economy, Ontario will soon introduce legislation to support greater worker mobility across Canada. The proposed legislation, which will be introduced next week, will advance the government’s ongoing work to build a more united and resilient Canadian economy by expanding “as of right” provisions for Canadian workers licensed and credentialed in other provinces and territories, particularly health-care workers, and move forward with automatic recognition of credentials for doctors and nurses from the rest of Canada.

“Our government is continuing to break down barriers and remove red tape so that physicians, nurses and other regulated health professionals from other provinces can begin practicing in Ontario and caring for patients sooner,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By taking a first-in-Canada approach to streamline the labour mobility process, we are making it faster and easier for both our health system partners and clinicians to provide the world-class care Ontarians need, when and where they need it.”

Currently, “as of right” rules allow nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and medical laboratory technologists from other provinces and territories to work in Ontario for up to six months while they seek registration with their profession’s Ontario regulator. The government’s proposed changes would expand that list to 16 additional professions, improving access to care for Ontario patients and meeting urgent labour market demands across the province.

“By making it easier for workers from the rest of the country to get on the job faster, our government is driving economic growth and protecting our workers and communities,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “We’re breaking down barriers to build a more resilient, unified Canada that can deliver the nation-building projects we need to stand up against global economic uncertainty.”

The government is also taking the next step toward automatic recognition of physicians and nurses who are registered and in good standing in other provinces and territories, making it faster and easier for them to continue their practice in Ontario. The province would do so by working with the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and the College of Nurses of Ontario to reduce application fees and documentation requirements, and to issue certificates within two business days, allowing eligible health-care workers to practice immediately. Ontario continues to work with these regulators to cut unnecessary red tape and fees for professionals already licensed elsewhere in Canada.

“The status-quo isn’t working. That’s why, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we are protecting Ontario by cutting red tape to make it faster and easier for skilled workers to join our economy,” said Andrea Khanjin, Minister of Red Tape Reduction. “This bold, first-in-Canada approach will reduce bureaucracy and strengthen our workforce.”

The 16 additional health professions proposed for inclusion under the “as of right” rules are:

1. Audiologists/Speech-Language Pathologists
2. Chiropodists
3. Dental Hygienists
4. Dental Technologists
5. Dentists
6. Denturists
7. Dietitians
8. Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists
9. Midwives
10. Occupational Therapists
11. Opticians
12. Optometrists
13. Pharmacists/Pharmacy Technicians
14. Physician Assistants
15. Physiotherapists
16. Psychologists

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