Since 1998, psychology regulatory organizations in Canada have been working to develop a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) to facilitate the mobility of psychologists from one jurisdiction to another. Representatives from all Canadian jurisdictions have already met on two occasions and two additional meetings are scheduled before the end of the year 2000. This process is being funded by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), the Council of Provincial Associations of Psychologists (CPAP), the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (CRHSPP), and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) of the Government of Canada. The steering committee for this project, appointed by the funding organizations, is the Psychology Sectoral Workgroup on the Agreement on Internal Trade (PSWAIT).

To achieve the goal of developing a MRA for the profession of psychology, Canadian regulators have identified four major topics of activity. These include:

A review and description of regulatory requirements for registration as psychologists in Canadian jurisdictions.

The identification of core competencies for professional psychologists in Canada.

The identification of evaluation methods to assess core competencies in each jurisdiction.

The recognition, reconciliation or accommodation of different evaluation methods.

In support of this process, several documents have been developed or translated. As these may be of interest to psychologists across Canada, they are reproduced on the CPA website for easy access. The documents include:

Regulatory Requirements for Registration in Psychology Across Canada.

A Framework for the Determination of Competencies in Relation to Mobility for Psychology under the Agreement on Internal Trade.

Both the original and a translation of the "Report of the Committee on Education and Training of Psychologists" from L’Ordre des psychologues du Quebec.

A draft of the "Core Competencies for Professional Psychology and their Evaluation for Mobility" adapted from appendix 7 of the previous document.

The first document is in constant evolution as legislative changes are made regularly in Canadian provincial/territorial jurisdictions. The fourth document is also evolving as regulators attempt to identify common core competencies required for licensure in each jurisdiction. A comparison of evaluation methods of the core competencies used in each jurisdiction has not yet been undertaken. As PSWAIT is following a consultative process in this matter, feedback on any aspect of the process may be provided to the Chair of PSWAIT at the following e-mail address:

Lorraine J. Breault, Ph.D., C. Psych.