Fight Discrimination by supporting the Human Rights case

Oh, Canada  ☹

Dear CSAs and CSA supporters,

For Canada Day this year let’s stand up for the principles which are supposed to be the foundation and moral fabric of our society.

As you are aware, we are fighting the discrimination that Canadians who are international medical graduates face.  We have suggested that you assist by adding your name as a supporter to the ICC campaign.  https://www.inclusion.ca/equalchance/

Today I am asking for you to consider donating financially, whether a dollar, twenty dollars, or more to support a human rights action filed by 5 international medical graduates fighting for equal opportunity in access to the medical profession.  I have donated $200 directly to the Society, Canadian on Paper, which supports this case.  I encourage others to contribute at GoFundMe at  https://gofund.me/55ac3d86

Once international medical graduates who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada have passed the exams (MCCQE1 and NAC OSCE) designed to establish whether a person has the critical medical knowledge, clinical decision-making ability, and clinical skills expected of a graduate of a Canadian medical school, there can be no legal justification for treating us differently.  It is wrong to prohibit qualified Canadians from applying to 90% of resident physician jobs in Canada which are a pre-requisite to licensure.  It is against fundamental principles of justice to segregate Canadians by group characteristics and to only allow one group to be licensed in a small number of recognized medical disciplines. And it is wrong to force one sector of Canadians to sign contracts which take away our right to decide where we will work after becoming licensed.

Equal opportunity will not be returned to international medical graduates without legal action.

That is why SOCASMA filed a Petition in Supreme Court challenging the discrimination CSAs face in 2018 on the basis of administrative law (law that governs government) and the Charter of Rights.  It is frustrating how slowly the wheels of justice work; however, we will get there.

The case I write about today is filed under the BC Human Rights Code and is an important piece of the fight for our rights.  The human rights tribunal has the right to order systemic change so that all residency positions be available to all Canadians on the same conditions.  This case is brought by immigrant physicians who can more easily fit into the prohibitory grounds.  Their fight is our fight.

The estimated amount of legal fees and disbursements necessary to fight the human rights case is $250,000.  The lawyer retained is one of the best human rights lawyers in the country.  She is working at a discounted rate because she too believes that the way Canadians who are international medical graduates are treated in this country is shameful.

You can find out more about the human rights case by going to  Lawsuit – Canadian On Paper Society for Immigrant Physicians Equality.

Say you want equal opportunity to be more than empty words by going to GoFundMe  https://gofund.me/55ac3d86 .

Rosemary Pawliuk

President of Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad