Canadian premier to sign recruitment agreement with RP

Gary Doer, the premier of the province of Manitoba is arriving in Manila
to sign a memorandum of understanding that will strengthen cooperation
between Manitoba and the Philippine government in the fields of human
resource development and employment.
Labor Secretary Arturo D. Brion said the memorandum of agreement
shall also outline the procedure for the hiring and deployment of Filipino
workers to province of Manitoba.
Manitoba needs manpower and skills like truck drivers, welders,
machinists, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, glaziers, pipe fitters,
mechanics, plasterers, drywall installers, carpenters, cabinetmakers,
bricklayers and stone masons.
Under the MOU, Filipino workers may enter Manitoba either as temporary
foreign worker or as a permanent resident, excluding those who are
seeking to work as live-in caregivers or those who are already approved
as Manitoba Provincial Nominees.
The POEA will register and accredit employers in Manitoba to recruit and
hire Filipino workers through Philippine licensed recruitment agencies.
Applicants for Manitoba have to pass the medical health examination
required by Citizenship and Immigration Canada for admission to Canada
as a temporary or permanent resident; must not have an outstanding
custody or divorce dispute that might render them ineligible to become a
a temporary or permanent resident of Canada; must have satisfactory
English language proficiency; must not have a criminal record; and have
the skills required by the employer.
The agreement prohibits recruitment agencies from charging placement
fees from workers. Employers will pay the cost of hiring the OFW
instead.
Secretary Brion and Premier Doer will sign the MOU on February 8, 2008
at Manila Hotel.