This Canadian province is recruiting more Filipino healthcare workers

Filipino healthcare workers are sought after globally. Thanks to their genuine sense of compassion and caring spirit, the Canadian province of Manitoba is opening their doors to more workers from the Philippines.

We live in a world where healthcare heroes are in high demand and Manitoba’s drive to enlist Filipinos paints a canvas of hope.

In February 2023, the Progressive Conservative (PC) government of Manitoba launched a recruitment drive with fanfare aiming to bolster the province’s healthcare workforce with professionals from the Philippines.

Recently, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara provided recruitment program updates, confirming that only 51 out of the 300 available positions for Filipino healthcare workers, including nurses, were filled.

“We welcome and thank all of them for joining our healthcare team here in Manitoba, but that is markedly short of the target that the previous PC government set,” stated Asagwara.

For those who will successfully navigate the recruitment process, Manitoba offers a comprehensive support package — immigration assistance, licensing fees coverage, travel and accommodation expenses, orientation program with mentorship and bridging education if needed.

Months ago, the NDP defunded the PCs’ successful healthcare recruitment program.

Now we’ve learned that the NDP are blocking more than a dozen nurses from coming to work in Manitoba.

Wab Kinew is actively shutting the door on healthcare workers. #mbpolihttps://t.co/7bRY1o5REb

— Manitoba PC Caucus (@MBPCcaucus) March 13, 2024

Addressing some flaws in the recruitment process

Despite the government’s efforts, the program comes with criticism for its shortcomings in clearing the path for Filipino applicants. Accused of keeping barriers that held qualified nurses from getting to Manitoba, Tory  MLA (member of the Legislative Assembly) Kathleen Cook said the NDP government was rescinding these applicants from reaching the province’s care homes and hospitals.

Shedding light on the issue, Cook is aware of the plight of 35 applicants who, despite completing immigration requirements, have failed clinical competence assessments (CCA) and were excluded from bridging education programs.

“These nurses have been trying to go through proper channels and were quite deep into the recruitment process, working with Shared Health for months and they didn’t get anywhere,” Cook said, advocating for alternative routes that would enable these workers to work even just as healthcare aides if not as nurses.

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On a positive note, Asagwara is empathetic of the workers’ plight and stands with the program’s integrity and its standards which align with agreements between the Philippines and Manitoba to ensure the quality of healthcare practices in the province. 

“(The CCA) is a standard that was put in place as part of the agreement with the Philippines. It’s a standard that’s in place to protect the public in terms of practicing in healthcare,”  stated Asagwara.

The health minister was unable to disclose the exact number of job offers that have been withdrawn for failure to meet Manitoba’s standards for nurses or fulfill the requirements within the timeline for the job offer.

More information about Manitoba’s application requirements for health care workers is available here.