New independent report on the implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention in Canada

The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) welcomes the independent report authored by CamProf Inc. and titled Substantial Agreement - Academic Credential Assessment in Canada: Implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention and Preparation for the UNESCO Global Convention.

This independent report is the result of recent extensive pan-Canadian consultations led by CICIC with assessment services and competent recognition bodies in Canada. More than 350 diverse organizations were invited to take part in the consultation process. CamProf Inc. subsequently provided in this report a comprehensive data analysis on Canada's implementation of the 1997 Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC). The report was produced, as well, in preparation for the newly adopted 2019 Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education. Although this analysis does not necessarily reflect the official policies, positions, or views of CICIC, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), provincial and territorial governments in Canada, or assessment services and competent recognition bodies in Canada, it does provide useful insight into the implementation of conventions related to qualification recognition in Canada.

You will recall that assessment services and competent recognition bodies in Canada maintain broad autonomy with respect to the implementation of conventions related to qualification recognition. Postsecondary institutions in Canada determine what qualifications they will accept for typical entry to various programs of study. Legislation also confers some autonomy on professional governing bodies in setting the content of regulations under which earned credentials, competencies, and training are recognized. Professional governing bodies therefore enjoy broad autonomy in recognizing credentials, whether obtained in Canada or abroad, for the purposes of registration or permission to practise a profession in Canada. 

As a whole, it would appear that Canada is compliant with the LRC to a leading extent among signatories. Some areas in the field of credential assessment and academic recognition are particularly in line with the provisions laid out in the LRC, such as: 

• The appeal procedures, their accessibility for individuals and transparency;
• The availability of alternative procedures for refugees and displaced people;
• The digitization of student data, via pan-Canadian and international projects (such as ARUCC's National Network and DigiRec);
• The on-going information services provided by CICIC as Canada's National Information Centre.

You can get more information on the 1997 LRC, 2019 Global Convention, and on monitoring the implementation in Canada.

CICIC wishes to thank all interested parties in its networks who demonstrated their willingness to contribute to conversations on the implementation of the LRC in Canada and took the time to provide information in CICIC-led consultations. In respect of their autonomy, CICIC will continue to encourage assessment services and competent recognition bodies to apply principles of the conventions while also improving the implementation of these principles. The aim of such continued improvement is to maintain a quality assurance process and to promote qualification recognition policies and procedures that are fair, transparent, timely and consistent in Canada.

Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Michael Ringuette (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Nathanaël Poli (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 

Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) at the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)
www.cicic.ca     www.cmec.ca  .