Ag professions part of provinces’ labour pact

Veterinarians, agrologists, custom pesticide and manure applicators and animal health technologists, among others, may now more easily take their qualifications from province to province as part of a new interprovincial trade deal.

Chapter 7 of the provinces’ Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), dealing with labour mobility between provinces, took effect April 1.

Under the chapter, someone who’s certified as qualified to practise an occupation in a Canadian province or territory will now be recognized and able to practise their occupation in any other Canadian jurisdiction.

Unless a province requires a specific exception from the rule so as to achieve what’s deemed a “legitimate objective,” such as protecting health and safety, then occupations in each province that are certified by a provincial regulatory authority must become AIT-compliant.

Each province will remain responsible for maintaining and monitoring the requirements that are in place by way of provincial legislation for regulated occupations.

“Improved labour mobility within Canada will create a more stable, attractive climate for business investment,” Manitoba’s provincial trade minister Andrew Swan said in a release last week.

“Addressing issues related to skills shortages in many regions of the country will create more opportunities to fill gaps in the labour force, placing Canada in a positive position to enhance our competitiveness in an expanding global economy.”