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Amid the shortage of health care workers, the Alberta government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippine government on the employment of Filipino nurses.

"Last October 6, Premier Jason Kenney of Alberta and Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan of the Department of Migrant Workers signed a memorandum of understanding on the recruitment of Filipino nurses. So [that MOU] will allow the first government-to-government recruitment of Filipino nurses from the Philippines. Second, it will provide financial assistance for the Filipino nurses in Alberta who would like to apply for the accreditation of their nursing licenses and who would like to undergo nursing bridging program here in Alberta," Consul General for Alberta And Saskatchewan Zaldy Patron said.

Under the MOU, Filipino nurses in Alberta who will undergo the assessment, education and training, and licensing process can apply for financial assistance of up to $15,000 from the province once the program is finalized.

The government of Alberta has allocated a budget of $3.5 million for the bursary program.

"This is welcome news because it will give opportunities for Filipino nurses to come to Alberta, and will facilitate the process for them to become registered nurses, because it's not easy to become a registered nurse in Alberta," registered nurse Aries Clemente Listanan noted. "But if there's a way for them to move here, that will be great."

Listanan started applying to become a registered nurse in the province, through the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta in 2016. But it took him almost five years to obtain certification, and this year, he was finally able to complete all the requirements.

"Matagal na proseso. Bago pa ako pumunta dito sa canada in 2016 ay nagsimula na ako na mag submit o magprepare ng mga documents sa College of Registered Nurses. Tapos naghintay ako ng maraming taon para makahanap ng eskwelahan sa bridging program ng nursing. Isang eskwelahan lang ang nag offer dito sa Alberta," Listanan shared.

(It's a long process. Even before I moved to Canada in 2016, I've already started submitting or preparing documents to submit to the College of Registered Nurses. Then, I had to wait for a few more years to get into the only school in Alberta that offers the nursing bridging program.)

Kenney noted "we've been working with the govt of the Philippines in the past several months to establish an agreement to make Alberta a preferred destination for inbound Filipino nurses who are in demand all around the world because of their high skilled, their culture of compassion.

The MOU aims to promote the sound, ethical, and sustainable recruitment practice between the two countries. This includes collaboration in the areas of certification, recognition, and matching of skills and qualifications, and the provision of support to Filipino nurses who are not yet registered to practice in Alberta.

Negotiations with the government of Alberta were spearheaded by the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary and the Philippine Overseas Labour Office in Vancouver.

Patron advised the public to follow the Facebook pages of the Consulate General and the government of Alberta for announcements on the implementation of the new initiatives.