Ontario is a party to the national Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) which provides for labour mobility of regulated professionals between provinces. In addition, Ontario passed its own Labour Mobility Act in 2009, implementing AIT.

Under labour mobility laws, the College is legally required to accept the professional qualifications of individuals who hold “equivalent” certificates of registration in another Canadian province or territory and who have worked in that profession in their province within the previous three years. Applicants registered in another province or territory who wish to apply for registration with CRPO need not be using the title Registered Psychotherapist in the other jurisdiction. The determining factor will be whether the scope of practice in that jurisdiction is substantially equivalent to the scope of practice for RPs in Ontario.

Under the labour mobility rules, CRPO cannot:

  • look at the applicant’s educational qualifications; or
  • require them to write the Registration Exam if the applicant is already registered in the equivalent of the Registered Psychotherapist category.

CRPO can:

  • ask about prior misconduct, offences, and negligence findings;
  • require language proficiency (but only if their previous college had no language requirement);
  • require professional liability insurance coverage;
  • require the applicant to successfully complete the Jurisprudence e-Learning Module;
  • inquire about their direct client and clinical supervision hours for the purpose of ‘independent’ practice;
  • inquire whether they are in good standing with their current regulatory body; and
  • inquire whether they were practising their full scope of practice in the other jurisdiction.

Currently, four provinces regulate practitioners who are eligible to apply for registration with CRPO under labour mobility rules: Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Québec. To be eligible, practitioners must be an active registrant with at least one of the following regulatory bodies:

  • College of Counselling Therapy of Prince Edward Island (CCTPEI);
  • College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick (CCTNB);
  • Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists (NSCCT); or
  • Ordre des Psychologues du Québec (holder of a Psychotherapy Permit only)

Registration as a psychologist in another Canadian province does not meet the eligibility requirements for registration with CRPO through labour mobility. Please contact the College of Psychologists of Ontario.

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