The Government of Canada is making it easier for internationally trained midwives to find meaningful work in their field. Wai Young, Member of Parliament for Vancouver South, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, made the announcement today. “The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of internationally trained healthcare professionals to addressing skills shortages and improving the quality of life for Canadians,” said Ms. Young. “This is why we are working with partners like the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program so that internationally trained healthcare professionals can put their knowledge and skills to work sooner in communities across Canada.”

The Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program is receiving $355,717 in funding through the Foreign Credential Recognition Program for a project that will pilot a streamlined approach to assessing the education and work experience of internationally trained midwives. The project will also help bridge internationally trained midwives into jobs so that they can practice their profession in Canada.

"The Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program would like to acknowledge the generous funding of the Government of Canada's Foreign Credential Recognition Program for our Accelerated Stream pilot," said Jelena Putnik, Interim Director of the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program. "The Government of Canada's vision and support of our goal to create an accessible, streamlined and quick process for internationally trained midwives to prepare and integrate into Canadian practice is invaluable both to address the maternity primary health care provider crisis in Canada and to recognize and utilize the skills and expertise in our immigrant population."

Under the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, the Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories and other partners, such as regulatory bodies, to improve foreign credential recognition.

This project is an example of how the Framework is bringing meaningful change to the way that newcomers’ qualifications are assessed in Canada.

To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca