Message to the ALPA Canada Board

[Gilles Hudicourt]

What prevents Canadian Hospitals, many of which are short-staffed in all sorts of specialities, from applying for, and obtaining LMOs to import cheap Cuban Medical Doctors as Temporary Foreign Workers to staff their hospitals and provide affordable and adequate medical care to Canadian patients in the many understaffed hospitals located in smaller towns of Canada ?

Providing quality Health Care at an affordable cost to a large number of mostly elderly Canadians would certainly be "IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST".

Taxpayer-funded Medical schools train Canadians doctors at great expense. Why should we continue doing this when Cuba has scores of already trained and qualified specialist that we could import for free ? This would also be in the PUBLIC INTEREST.

Cuba already has several thousand doctors working overseas. For a small fee, they could easily add Canada to the list of the countries that benefit from the aid provided to other countries.

So what prevents this scenario from happening ? It certainly is not the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations which regulate the LMOs and the Work Permits that these Cuban doctors would require to come to Canada and submerge the Canadian market with thousands of cheap and qualified Cuban doctors. The immigration laws, as they stand, would allow the Cuban doctors to work in Canada if hospitals applied for LMOs on their behalf.

What prevents the scenario I described above from becoming a reality is nothing other than the Medical Doctor's Canadian licensing regulations.

Yes. The Licensing Regulations of Medical Doctors.

So the door is wide open. They have been coming in and they will continue coming in.

Foreign Air line pilots
Foreign Crop Dusters
Foreign Helicopter pilots
Foreign Flight Instructors
Foreign Commuter Pilots
Foreign executive pilots
Foreign survey pilots

(This indexed ducument contains all pilot LMOs applications in Canada from Jan to Mid October 2013:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/105 ... 2May14.pdf
The index does not readily appear when the document is downloaded. One most right click on on document, and click on "Display document buttons", or something lile that and the Indez button will appear on the left))


You name it, they work here. Because someone dropped the ball when they lost sight of why the original regulations stated that to fly revenue flights in Canada under parts 702, 703, 704 and 705 in Canada, one had to have a licence issued under Part IV. Meaning a Canadian Licence. Not an FLVC. Not a Licence issued under dubious circumstances like when those foreign licensed candidates obtained a Canadian ATPL after doing a check ride in the right seat of a flight simulator, and not in an aircraft, as the CARs require.

[ReserveTank]

ALPA represents some of the most poorly paid pilots in North America. They have repeatedly caved to the corporate interests of lowering wages and dismantling benefits and working conditions. That's what corruption does for you. They are happy to look the other way.

[Stu Pidasso]

It's not just ALPA, ACPA is equally to blame! Arguably if anyone should show some leadership, it should be ACPA, which has its head planted so far up its @ss it can't see the light of day.

Then we have the supposed "College," where are they?

[ThatArmyGuy]

The College can only weigh in with improving our profession once we have a strong membership.

Go to http://www.collegeofpilots.ca/ and become a member for $60. Then tell all of your co-workers. The website has been updated and a bunch of initiatives are in the works. Check it out for yourself.

Shawn
YEG Ambassador

[Stu Pidasso]

I've been a member from the beginning Shawn. Unfortunately the lack of position on the MCPL, and now the TFW's, has left me very disappointed.

[Black Cat]

If the college wants a strong membership the should come out with a stronger mandate, sometime pilots feel strongly about, namely pay and working conditions, NOT licensing and standards!

[timel]

It is logical college doesn't want to get involved in labour disputes.

TF pilots is a topic they could adress, it's touching the profession of all pilots. I got my membership recently. I speak to other pilots and they don't get the point of it, I have to admit work has been done to make it better on the website.

Politics are sooo slow. People get angry after Mc Donalds, pilot have to figure way out for themselves. Political might not be the key.

[Takeoff OK]

Said it before, and here it is again:

If the College wants to attract membership, they need to take a public stance on this issue. Failure to recognize this fact displays incompetence on their part. Once again, the TFW argument has entered the spotlight and is about to fizzle out, with no response from the college leadership.

Shame on them.

[Oxi]

Said it before, and here it is again:

If the College wants to attract membership, they need to take a public stance on this issue. Failure to recognize this fact displays incompetence on their part. Once again, the TFW argument has entered the spotlight and is about to fizzle out, with no response from the college leadership.

Shame on them.

Shame on them? Are you apart of the college? Regardless if ACPA decided to spend $60 from each pilot and put into the college along with Westjet Jazz it would a tremendous backing. Failure to recognize it's hard to push paper and get recognition with only 1100 members.

[Takeoff OK]

Said it before, and here it is again:

If the College wants to attract membership, they need to take a public stance on this issue. Failure to recognize this fact displays incompetence on their part. Once again, the TFW argument has entered the spotlight and is about to fizzle out, with no response from the college leadership.

Shame on them.

Shame on them? Are you apart of the college? Regardless if ACPA decided to spend $60 from each pilot and put into the college along with Westjet Jazz it would a tremendous backing. Failure to recognize it's hard to push paper and get recognition with only 1100 members.

A Catch 22, isn't it? Can't get recognition without people; can't get people without recognition.

Here's the blindingly obvious point: The College will achieve nothing unless they substantially increase their ranks. Once again, they're letting the TFW opportunity go by the wayside. So yes, shame on them.

[timel]

Said it before, and here it is again:

If the College wants to attract membership, they need to take a public stance on this issue. Failure to recognize this fact displays incompetence on their part. Once again, the TFW argument has entered the spotlight and is about to fizzle out, with no response from the college leadership.

Shame on them.

Shame on them? Are you apart of the college? Regardless if ACPA decided to spend $60 from each pilot and put into the college along with Westjet Jazz it would a tremendous backing. Failure to recognize it's hard to push paper and get recognition with only 1100 members.

I think what people mean is, if the college was able to reach pilots differently, by for example taking position in temporary foreign pilots issues, the 1100 number would be much higher and growing for sure. Until now it's just abstract concepts, nothing tangible people can hang to and feel they want to participate.

[Takeoff OK]

Look; instead of setting this ridiculous high-road metric that the College does not get political, and therefore doesn't want to make a public statement on this issue, how about their upper echelon opens their eyes and realizes that they need to DO something to GET something. I am not alone. There are a lot of people out there wondering why the heck we should give yet another entity more of our money when said entity can't even seize a fall-in-your-lap opportunity such as the TFW issue when it's in the limelight. Forget blind faith; it's NOT going to happen unless you show us something. Period. I'm not saying march into Harper's office and demand change. All it takes is a press release. Unfortunately, the issue is fading again. It's probably too late to get anyone in the press to listen. Shucks! Another opportunity wasted...

Even the CFPC takes a stand once in a while. Isn't that what you want to emulate?

By the way, sorry for the thread shift. I agree with Gilles 100%.

[YYCDavid]

I'd be interested to see what ALPA is doing for all the KF guys? They jumped on the bandwagon to help pilots at certain airlines in the states facing layoff and job cuts, I'd put money on it they don't do the same for the KF guys.

[mbav8r]

One thing Jazz ALPA is doing albeit a small gesture but new hires from an ALPA carrier will get seniority awarded in their class according to their years of ALPA seniority, the rest will draw for their number.

[Rockie]

It's not just ALPA, ACPA is equally to blame! Arguably if anyone should show some leadership, it should be ACPA, which has its head planted so far up its @ss it can't see the light of day.

Then we have the supposed "College," where are they?

Totally agree. Politically and as labour representatives ACPA is a useless organization with zero credibility or influence, but let's admit why that is. It's because ACPA comprises 3000 pilots whose interest goes no further than themselves. We prove it every contract, and I suspect we'll prove it again to the detriment of other Air Canada employee groups when the real reason for these "exploratory" talks with the company becomes known.

For the College, realistically I don't see them being anything but an advocate for professional pilots. They can be an effective advocate though but not without getting their hands dirty and creating a ruckus in Ottawa. Start doing that and I think pilots will see the value and climb on board.

[Chuck Finley]

Soooo Canadian... Let's wait for someone else to take care of my problems... The college, the gov. What are YOU doing about it? What are you doing to make it as unpleasant as possible for a foreign pilot to come work here and take someone else job?

Gilles, Keep on fighting brother. Some of us appreciate it!!