Canadians anticipate green light for Italian driver’s license

Yorkregion.com
July 30, 2015
By Tim Kelly

Next time Vaughan resident Ralph Cinelli heads over to Italy, he won’t be driven to distraction over rules around renting a vehicle or driving in the “Old” country.

That’s because an impending agreement between Canada and Italy will allow the holder of a valid driver’s licence in one country to easily obtain a valid licence in the other during an extended stay.

Cinelli, who visits Italy every other year for an extended holiday of five or six weeks, said once the agreement in principle between the close G7 countries is final it will make his life a whole lot easier.

The 70-year-old Woodbridge resident, who came to Canada in 1956 when he was 11 years old, and has relatives in Cosenza, Calabria, said, “we’ve got to do a lot of running around,” to get all the paper work needed to allow him to drive while in Italy as things currently stand.

It will be much smoother for him and also when relatives come from Italy for a visit too.

The deal must be ratified by the Canadian government as well as the Italian government and requires sign-off by the provinces and territories too before it becomes official.

The Italian-Canadian population of Vaughan is just under 100,000 or about 33 per cent of its total and there are about 1.5 million Italian-Canadians across the country.

Julian Fantino, Vaughan MP and Associate Minister of National Defence, spoke about the agreement in principle on behalf of Rob Nicholson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, which negotiated the deal with Italy.

Currently, there are a number of rules and regulations required to allow Canadians to obtain a valid Italian driver’s licence. Among other requirements, the procedures include a driving theory test, six hours of practice driving and a road test. Italian citizens in Canada must undergo similar procedures, based on the official requirements of the province or territory in which they are staying.

The agreement-in-principle, if ratified, would do away with much of these requirements.

Vaughan MP Julian Fantino, associate minister of national defence, hailed the agreement-in-principle and called for provinces and territories across Canada to ratify it.

“For the 1.5 million Italian-Canadians, many who frequently travel to visit family and friends in Italy, this agreement will be a major benefit as it will pave the way for the removal of a significant and costly burden on their visits. It is my hope that the provinces and territories will now work swiftly to implement this arrangement.”