Alberta aims to attract workers with fall session's first bill
The first bill introduced in the fall legislature sitting is meant to attract working professionals to Alberta.
The fall session began Monday with Premier and United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney introducing a bill intended to streamline the process of recognizing professional credentials from other Canadian provinces.
If passed, Bill 49, the Labour Mobility Act, would:
- mandate regulatory bodies recognize credentials issued by other provinces for professions with the same work scope;
- set a 40-day timeline for those agencies to approve and notify an applicant they can work in Alberta; and
- mandate regulatory authorities create a review and appeal process with reasonable timeframes.
Kenney said a government-commissioned study by C.D. Howe Institute suggested improving labour mobility could grow Alberta’s economy by $2.8 billion and the national economy by even more.
“If you can move between the nearly 30 countries of the European Union as a skilled worker without running into burdensome red tape, why can’t you do it within the 10 provinces of Canada?” he asked, mentioning he’d be writing other premiers to refresh a 2019 ask they make similar changes.
The proposed bill would affect more than 100 regulatory authorities in the health, finance, justice, education and municipal affairs sectors.
According to Kenney, the legislation was ready to go in 2020 but held by his government while Alberta’s unemployment rate was still in the double digits and the province was dealing with its third COVID-19 wave.
“Now, as we are moving into, I believe as moving into a probably strong and sustained cycle of economic growth, and we are hearing about labour shortages not just in Alberta but across the economy in North America, this is going to become an emerging challenge,” he said Monday.
“We need to skate to where the puck is going, and where the puck is going is dynamic economic growth and labour shortages. I think this is the right time to do it.”
When asked if Alberta easing labor mobility would hurt its local companies and workers, Kenney said Albertans weren’t afraid of competition and that the provincial government’s procurement search beyond provincial boundaries had only gotten taxpayers a better deal.
Kenney also promised the hastened timelines wouldn’t compromise the process, but standardize it.
“Here’s the point: When you’re an Albertan and if you get sick in B.C. or Saskatchewan, you don’t ask to see whether the doctor or the nurse is certified by their Alberta regulator. You just trust that other Canadian professionals are operating at effectively the same high and safe standard.
“So what we’re saying through this legislation is: Let’s stop second guessing each other in Canada.”
Government House Leader Jason Nixon said there are no COVID-19 specific bills expected to come in the sitting, but that the government will continue to fight the fourth wave and pass legislation if necessary.
The Opposition NDP said it plans to hold the government to account for failing to act in the summer and allowing a renewed surge of COVID-19 cases. NDP house leader Christina Gray said an all-party committee is needed to get to the bottom of what happened.
Nixon called the ask “completely inappropriate” and a way of making political gain.
He estimated between 18 and 20 bills would be passed before Christmas, as well as a motion to debate equalization after referendum results are announced Tuesday.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.