March 20, 2025 Toronto, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada
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.
