Fair Access to Regulated Professions for Newcomers

20, Jun, 2019

On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, ASET joined the Chartered Professional Accountants as one of two regulators invited to a round-table session with the Premier and Minister of Labour and Immigration on the passage of the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act. The new legislation establishes a Fair Registration Practices Office and will require regulators to report on the transparency, objectivity, impartiality, and fairness of their registration practices.

In 2011, the ASET Council took note of similar legislation in Ontario and established an annual Fair Registration Practices audit. This has been a positive process for ASET, leading to a number of improvements including a single, competency-based evaluation process for all certification candidates, regardless of their country of origin.

“ASET is the regulator of engineering and geoscience technology practice in Alberta, and is committed to fully objective criteria for certification, and a level playing field for all applicants. Having long since adopted high standards of fairness in our admissions practices, ASET applauds the initiative for fair assessment of all applicants.”
Barry Cavanaugh, CEO, ASET

ASET’s Registrar, Jennifer Bertrand, attended the round-table session and legislative announcement. “It was a privilege to attend and hear the stories of internationally-trained professionals who have not been recognized in other professions,” says Bertrand. “We look forward to working with the Minister and the new Fair Registration Practices Office to demonstrate how ASET’s commitment to fair access has made a difference to over 300 applicants from other countries who are now certified and working in their field of practice in Alberta.”

For media coverage of the announcement, see Global News' coverage of the announcement.