The federal government is working to streamline the accreditation process for foreign-trained accountants, Canada's minister of small business and tourism announced on Thursday.

The other seven industries receiving funding to make working in Canada easier for foreign-trained workers include engineering and some health professions, according to minister Rob Moore.

The government plans to focus on six other professions, including teachers and doctors, by December 2012, Moore said at a press conference in Burnaby.

The government funding is designed to make it easier to attract and hire foreign-trained professionals, Moore explained.

"Newcomers need to have their credentials recognized," he said. "I commend those of you from CGA for taking the initiative to help foreign-trained individuals integrate into the workforce."

Labour shortages in certain professions are a challenge for Canada, he said.

Streamlining the accreditation assessment process is "crucial to Canada's long-term economic success," Moore added.

The other priority industries will be announced within the year, Moore said.

Moore made the announcement on behalf of Diane Finley, minister of human resources and skills development, at the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada's Burnaby headquarters.

The ministry gave CGA Canada $990,993 for its Foreign Credential Recognition National Harmonization project.

It is a national online self-assessment tool that evaluates foreign-trained accountants' education and experience, said Anthony Ariganello, president and CEO of CGA.

"They can do it all online without having to visit an office," he explained.

The assessment is designed to inform applicants of what steps they need to take to become certified accountants in Canada, based on their individual qualifications, he said.

He thanked Moore for the funding.

"It will allow us to develop a much-needed resource for foreign-trained accountants," Ariganello said.

The online assessment will make it easier to attract qualified foreign-trained accountants, he added, because it is a simpler process.

"It will save them considerable time and guesswork," Ariganello said, adding those interested in working in Canada are often eager to work and can sometimes, understandably, become impatient with the steps necessary to get certification here.

He thanked Lyle Handfield, the association's vice-president of finance and human resources, for leading the initiative.

CGA Canada has a membership of more than 73,000 accountants and students across the country.

The Federal Credential Recognition Program is part of Canada's Economic Action Plan and was formed to help provinces and territories - as well as employers - in assessing the qualifications of workers trained outside of Canada.

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