Foreign-Trained Vets Protest Language Requirement

Dispute | Indo-Canadian veterinarians say rule is attempt to put an end to lower fees
By Krisendra Bisetty

Vancouver | A long-simmering dispute over English proficiency tests for foreign-trained veterinarians will boil over into a noon-hour protest organized by several animal rescue groups at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Thursday.

The issue arose last May, after the B.C. Veterinary Medical Association introduced a requirement that foreign-trained vets must pass an English proficiency test before being allowed to practise in B.C.

Indo-Canadian veterinarians claim the requirement is a deliberate attempt to prevent foreign-trained vets from obtaining licences, thus curbing the practice among Indo-Canadians of charging fees that are significantly lower than those recommended by the BCVMA.

Some of them, including those practicing in the Lower Mainland who offer low-cost services to the public, said they will participate in Thursday’s protest.

June Humphreys, who works with a number of rescue groups throughout the Lower Mainland, said the protest will highlight the plight of foreign-trained vets. “We need low-cost, affordable vets,” she said Tuesday.

New immigrants are required to score 55 points out of 60 on a test of spoken English. It’s a score, says Hakam Bhullar, owner of Atlas Animal Hospital in Vancouver, that no other professional body in Canada requires.

With many India-trained veterinarians failing to make the grade, some are resorting to driving taxis when they could be providing much-needed veterinary services, Bhullar said in an interview Tuesday. “Most vets are pretty upset.”

He said that after studying in English in India, they are tested exhaustively by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association when they arrive in Canada seeking accreditation, so there’s no reason for further assessment.

Since opening his animal hospital in 1995 – Atlas is open until midnight seven days a week – Bhullar has won the admiration of customers, particularly low-income cat owners and animal-welfare groups because of his service and low rates.

Most the approximately 60 Indo-Canadian vets working in various clinics also charge lower prices than the BCVMA guidelines, he said.

Bhullar said the English proficiency requirement is a deliberate move to shut out Indo-Canadians. “I don’t think there’s any other reason. No other country has that score.”

Bhullar is also one of 19 veterinarians who have filed a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal complaint against the BCVMA, demanding that it repeal the requirement for the English test and treat all vets fairly.

Following a pre-settlement conference among the parties on Monday, Bhullar said the issues have not been resolved and he expects the complaint will go to a hearing later this year.

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