International professional qualifications are more important in British Columbia today than they once were, but too many workers in the province are still underemployed.

Ravi Parmar, British Columbia Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials, joined Sheila Malcolmson, British Columbia Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, in a roundtable discussion on this topic at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo on Wednesday, August 21.

The provincial government introduced the International Recognition of Diplomas Act last fall and the regulations came into force earlier this summer.

“Now the work continues to make sure the legislation does its job…” Parmar said. “It’s part of the work of our government to make sure that we finally stop hearing stories about barriers, obstacles and challenges, and start hearing stories about people coming here, making our communities their home, and being part of our economy and our workforce.”

The new rules eliminated the Catch-22 problem of Canada’s work experience requirements and redundant English language tests, and required regulators to start collecting data, such as the number of foreign applicants compared to domestic applicants.

“If regulators don’t follow the rules, they will not only be punished but also publicly shamed because all this information is in the public domain,” Parmar said.

The parliamentary secretary said the province wants to eliminate gatekeeping and unreasonable retraining requirements. If British Columbia and Canada are not an attractive place for immigrants to live and work, it is a “reputational risk,” he said.

Malcolmson said the new legislation removed “unnecessary and in some cases malicious hurdles” in the recognition of international qualifications. She said people could be proud of their work if they could work in their field and earn an income that would support their family.

This week’s panel saw some optimism about the changes to international credentials, but also an acknowledgement of the problems that exist. Malcolmson said on the ground that her office is being consulted by Work BC and the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society about the experiences of newcomers in their job search.

“We need all hands on deck to build the necessary community support services and jobs,” she said.