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Pablita's speech at the symposium for Bill 124!
Honorable
Minister Mike Cole, Honorable Mississauga West MPP Bob Delaney, Staff of
Inter-Cultural Neighborhood Social Services, Members of Peel
Multicultural Councils and, Peel Halton Dufferin Training board,
Community leaders, Guests, Good morning.
It is an honor and privilege to be with you at this forum to discuss Access to Regulated Professions in Ontario, a very relevant issue not only for Canadians, but most of all for new immigrants like me. My name is Pablita Ravelo, a landed immigrant from the Philippines, who, together with my family arrived in this country in answer to the sweet call of unlimited opportunities and a better life. As a professional teacher and a principal of a university , I left my country after 4 years following a much anticipated long wait - securing and processing documents that certified me and my husband as professionally and technically qualified, physically fit and financially capable of settling to Canada.
After a long wait, the Canadian immigrant visa was issued, the receipt of it mattered just as much as life itself. My family and I, along with the countless number of fellow immigrants of whom I am representing today, have left the comfort of home, secured jobs, and loved ones for a new beginning in this land of plenty, equality and equity here in Canada.
However, it wasn’t until recently that we experienced to the bitter taste of being turned down, rejected, and denied status as professionals in our fields as teachers, doctors, nurses, accountants and engineers. Greater pain is felt from the simple yet complex statement that as newcomers, full of global talent, we do not have the Canadian experience necessary to thrive in the Canadian workforce. Seemingly a bombshell for us new comers the statement is ironic. For how could we get this experience when we are not given the chance to display our skills and experience? How can we survive in this harsh reality? How long will we have to wait for our certification to qualify us to work in our professions?
There is no answer to this waiting period as the documents required for the certification is a very complicated process. In my case securing a teaching equivalency from the Ontario College of Teachers costs $340 for assessment and evaluation fee. From securing a criminal record check to assessment of my English language proficiency, evaluation of my academic credentials that has to originate from the institution/university from which I came, and other certifications that will involve accrediting agencies from the Philippines, it will be a long wait and requires a lot of money as I have to commission people in the Phillipines to secure and facilitate my documents. I estimated the paper trail completion between two countries will take one or two years. Meanwhile I have to work in a warehouse, a back-breaking job I have never experienced before, never mind the calloused hands. In between, I have to travel from workplace to my training centre to hasten my Canadian experience in a workplace, a very stressful routine for a newcomer.
So from hope to despair to helplessness, a mixture of emotions. The unexpressed fears and angers drowned in a remorseful silence…You know the heart-breaking travels of immigrants bannered in the media, but there are thousands more whose stories will never be heard except in their own wailing…
The reality is that Canada is our new home now, the home for our children and for the generation to come. Life must go on. So we keep the pain in our hearts while we labor in warehouses and factories, deliver pizzas, drive taxis and mop floors for a measly wage in order to survive. Although some have lost hope and have returned to their countries defeated and devastated, many of us stayed, with a flicker of hope that perhaps this demeaning thing would just be temporary…This hope we now possess is nurtured by the government through its support and funding for some compassionate centers like ICNSS which aids with enhanced language training and placement experience as well as private institutions like the Academy of Learning which provides adult learning in other sectors of Canada’s workplace...Now with Bill 124, the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act, when passed will pave the way to break down barriers to enable foreign –trained professionals like myself and hundreds of others to work in our professions or trade. This is an opportunity to prove our capabilities as worthy immigrants, and by so doing, restore confidence in ourselves, the same confidence that brought us here.
In reflection of this testimonial, I would like to end with the fact that through the process of gaining my license as a teacher I am still not guaranteed employment. Even after waiting for 2 years and working to upgrade my skills, there are no certainties. While I have the knowledge and experience of a teacher these issues may postpone my future in teaching to a much later date. In the end, I may have to consider obtaining diploma in Early Childhood Education or Office Administration. There will be many major decisions to make. Push through with the training for language proficiency that will facilitate entry to the Canadian workplace or shift careers- all these entail costs, while we race with the time for survival.
Thus on behalf of the thousands of foreign trained professionals, we say YES to Bill 124. And to you honorable ministers and legislators please convey our voices.
Thank you and have a good day...
