House of Commons and Jean Augustine

Jean Augustine: The first black woman elected to the House of Commons, Augustine was appointed in 2007 with a mandate to ensure that foreign-trained professionals trying to get licensed in Ontario encounter a transparent, objective, impartial and fair registration system. , according to Hamilton Spectator. An immigrant herself, originally from Grenada, Augustine used her skills and experience as a community activist and politician to work with the regulators. She helped usher in an era of change in a licensing system that had been criticized for unfairly erecting barriers to qualified immigrants. Jean Augustine, Ontario first Fairness Commissioner, has retired after eight years at the helm of the provincial watchdog agency that tries to assure immigrants of a fair shot at entering a regulated profession. It was a challenging job from day one for Augustine, who met reluctance and resistance from many of the province powerful self-regulating professional bodies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.