TORONTO, March 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada is home to the best talent in the world, a growing population, an ambitious building plan and a renewed call to add more resilience into our economy and key sectors—particularly the healthcare and construction sectors.
The Government of Canada has taken steps to invest in practical, targeted solutions to help more skilled newcomers get their credentials recognized so they can join work sites and hospital rooms across the country sooner. Just as demand grows, so too should our workforce. That is why the Government of Canada is today taking immediate action to address labour shortages in critical sectors.
Today, Chris Bittle, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and to the Minister of Jobs and Families, on behalf of Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Jobs and Families, announced up to $52 million in funding for 16 projects across the country through the Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Program. These projects will improve credential recognition systems and help internationally trained professionals secure employment in the healthcare and construction sectors. It is anticipated that this investment will support over 4,600 participants directly and benefit many more through system improvements to credential recognition processes in both sectors.
Today's announcement supports commitments made in Budget 2024, which provided an additional $50 million over two years to enhance the FCR Program. The FCR Program provides funding to provinces, territories, regulatory bodies and other organizations to implement projects that support faster and more efficient credential recognition systems as well as those that provide Canadian work experience. The funded initiatives aim to reduce assessment times, provide targeted work experience and support broader system change—ensuring more skilled newcomers can contribute to Canada's economy and communities without delay.
Quotes
"Canada has the talent, means and ambition to build up our sectors, to provide reliable and quality healthcare, and to build the houses, bridges and communities that the times demand and Canadians expect. Today's investment in credential recognition harnesses that talent and adds depth to our already-world-class healthcare and construction workforces."
– Minister of Jobs and Families, Steven MacKinnon
"Newcomer Women's Services Toronto deeply appreciates Employment and Social Development Canada's continued support and investment in the Foreign Credential Recognition Program. This crucial initiative helps break down barriers, creating meaningful pathways for highly skilled newcomers to contribute their talents to the Canadian workforce. At the same time, it helps address labour shortages in critical sectors such as construction and healthcare by connecting employers with skilled newcomer talent."
– Sara Asalya, Newcomer Women's Services Toronto
Quick Facts
- Canada's healthcare sector had 78,600 unfilled positions in the third quarter of 2024. This was the second consecutive quarterly decline. While vacancies in health occupations are down, there continues to be acute labour shortages in key occupations, such as nurses, physicians, medical laboratory technologists, and respiratory therapists. This gap underscores the urgent need to attract and integrate qualified professionals to maintain the quality and accessibility of healthcare services across the country.
- Canada's construction industry is experiencing significant labour shortages, with high demand for skilled tradespeople to support housing, infrastructure, and industrial projects across the country.
- Budget 2024 is investing $50 million over two years in the Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Program, with a focus on the residential construction and healthcare sectors. This builds on Budget 2022 investments of $115 million over five years starting in 2022-2023 and $30 million ongoing for the Program, starting with a focus on supporting the labour market integration of internationally educated health professionals.
- The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimates that to restore affordability in the housing sector by 2030, Canada will need an additional 3.5 million units on top of what is already being built.
- With permanent resident immigration levels expected to reach over 395,000 in 2025, it is essential to support skilled newcomers in using their full potential within the Canadian workforce. The FCR Program funding will support over 4600 participants directly and many more through system improvements in credential recognition processes.
- The FCR Program supports the labour market integration of internationally trained professionals by providing funding to provinces and territories, regulatory authorities and other organizations to improve FCR processes to make them faster and more efficient, provide loans and support services to help internationally trained professionals through the FCR process; and provide employment supports to help internationally trained professionals gain Canadian work experience in their field of study.
Related Links
Backgrounder: Foreign Credential Recognition Program
Associated Links
Foreign Credential Recognition
The Government of Canada is investing up to $14.3 million to help address labour shortages in the health sector
Government helping 6,600 internationally educated health care professionals work in Canada
Funding: Foreign Credential Recognition Program
Federal, provincial and territorial statement on supporting Canada's health workforce
Health workforce
Canada's Housing Plan: Programs and initiatives
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: John Fragos, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Jobs and Families, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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