Grande Prairie MLA seeks public engagement regarding Foreign Credential Advisory Committee bill

Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck is continuing his push for foreign and domestic workers to come to Alberta with a campaign on his proposed bill regarding a potential Foreign Credential Advisory Committee. 

Bill 203 was tabled by Dyck last winter with the goal of “streamlining” the process new Alberta residents go through in order to find a job. 

“We know that we need workforce, we know we have newcomers coming to Alberta, we see them constantly coming,” he says. “I would love to welcome them here even quicker.” 

Currently, the province has a system in place for workers moving to Alberta with a job in place for them. The Rural Renewal Stream acts as a support system for rural communities in the attraction and retention of foreign workers, and MLA Dyck says his bill seeks to “remove the red tape” involved in the credentialing process for foreign workers in Alberta.

“That’s a gamechanger I see it, great steps in the right direction for us to be able to say we have a path forward that isn’t lowering the bar but is simply saying- is there anything obstructing, how do we work together to allow people who are qualified from across the world or across Canada to be able to come to Alberta and work,” he says. 

Dyck adds that the program would open up further opportunities for workers to get the jobs they have an education in, through more efficient foreign credential recognition.

“I think we all have friends that maybe aren’t working in the industry they have an education in,” he says. “We all want a job, I think that’s why people come to Alberta, that’s the Alberta advantage, so let’s continue to utilize that.” 

The provincial opposition has criticized the bill, saying they fear the committee would become another “government-controlled” platform that could ignore the best interests of the people.

In response, Dyck has launched a public survey for residents to encourage discussion around how the bill would affect both foreign and domestic workers.

The bill is tabled for discussion and Dyck says he hopes to have the proposal passed by mid-April.