Parliamentary Work - House of Commons

News Flash

The Mississauga News
May 26, 2007

Discussion focuses on plight of foreign engineers

A Mississauga MP says there's a growing gap between jobs available in the province and the skills that foreign trained engineers currently hold.

Mississauga-Erindale MP Omar Alghabara was speaking at a panel discussion - Foreign Trained Professionals: An Untapped Resource, organized by the Mississauga Chapter of the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) at the Central Library recently.

The discussion, moderated by Sean Mallen, host of Global TV's Focus Ontario comprised of politicians and professionals who generated ideas on how the province could integrate internationally trained foreign engineers into Canadian workplaces.

“We lack a clear roadmap of the skills you have and the needs we require,” said Mississauga-Erindale MP Omar Alghabra, one of the panelists and a licensed engineer.

Alghabra said the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRDC) employment statistics are not accurate at times and lag behind the realities of marketplace.

A slide show presentation highlighted the frustration faced by many foreign-trained engineers who were unable to find jobs. The engineers said they weren't given a true picture of the employment situation in Canada during their immigration process.

Only one out of every five engineers talk to immigration officials before emigrating to Canada, said Kim Allen, CEO/Registrar for PEO, the body that licenses and regulates the practices of Ontario’s 70,000 engineers.

PEO has been pushing to have foreign trained engineers apply for positions in Canada before they immigrate.

The meeting was also attended by Ontario Fairness Commissioner Jean Augustine.

Recently, PEO introduced a new program to encourage newcomers and engineering graduates to apply for licensure as a professional engineer by waiving the $230 application fee for qualified applicants.