“We often say that it is a plane that was built in mid-flight. » Philippe Beauchemin, integration agent for the Haute-Gaspésie organization, here I am!, doesn’t tell stories. In the fall of 2022, her region, pioneer of phase 1 of the program aimed at recruiting 1,000 registered nurses outside Canada (IDHC), found it “difficult” to welcome its first cohort.
In Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, ten students from the Maghreb and Cameroon, out of a total of 37 in the region (Chandler, Maria and Gaspé), arrived… with their families. “We welcomed 10 students, but in total, we are talking about 40 people. And 40 people of color in a town of less than 7,000 predominantly white and Catholic residents, that’s a complete upheaval,” he said.
According to him, the organizations were “not ready at all”. Have the challenges of such a program funded by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration been underestimated? ” I think so. In phase 1, there was a misunderstanding of what it was. It’s like we took people and catapulted them to remote areas and said “take care of them!” » relates Mr. Beauchemin. “We did our best. »
Violence and scams
Unsurprisingly, housing was the “number one problem.” Some landlords took the opportunity to increase the cost of rent. “The students had CISSS written on their foreheads. So there was exploitation, psychological violence and a lot of scams,” said Mr. Beauchemin.
In Gaspé, where 400 temporary workers and students are in the area, the housing crisis is more severe, underlines Steve Fournier, director of the New Arrivals Reception Service of La Côte-de-Gaspé.
The lack of daycare space was the other major problem: there is none. “The ministry calls me and tells me that I have to find two or three places in daycare for IDHCs. I want to, but I can’t prioritize them. » Added to this is the challenge of transportation, which forces students to pay the unexpected costs of a car.
Training these future nurses on the various CEGEP campuses was not an easy task. Three candidates failed.
“Our education system is different from theirs and it’s a strong program,” noted Manuelle Ann Boissonneault, from the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles. Students had to change establishments and move from city to city to do the laboratories, before they were subsequently set up in the classrooms.
From terror… to joy
In the fall of 2023, the reception of the second cohort was completely different, according to Philippe Beauchemin. “What we saw in the eyes of the first cohort was anxiety, terror and discontent,” he says. “But with the second cohort, it was joy that we saw. »
According to him, the “big mistake” with the first cohort was the lack of communication between the various partners. “With the second cohort, we always talked to each other. We were better prepared and we developed a big welcome week. » Preliminary contact was also established much earlier with the participants, he adds.
In Gaspé, the second cohort of students was also able to benefit from the hiring of an additional person who dedicated herself to finding accommodation for participants from three regions, Chandler, Gaspé and Maria. “It’s positive,” admitted Steve Fournier. “But it would take one per MRC. »
Student residences will be built in Maria and Gaspé to relieve the rental stock. “It’s in the hands of the Société de l’habitation du Québec,” said Lou Landry, communications manager for the CISSS de la Gaspésie.
After all these efforts, all that remains is to hope that these people pass the examination of the Order of Nurses, which took place on Tuesday, and stay in the region, says Mr. Landry, who says he has confidence . “What we hear is that these people want to stay here. »