With the current tariff dispute between Canada and the United States, Canadian political parties have put forth initiatives to reduce interprovincial barriers to trade in goods and services in order to support continued economic growth.
In the 2025 federal election, the two major federal parties have proposed significant policy changes related to interprovincial and international labour mobility for engineers and other regulated professions in Canada:
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal platform commits to “A Canada Where Anyone Can Work Anywhere.” Specifically, they have committed that they will “collaborate with the provinces to ensure that qualifications in one part of our country apply to all.”
Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly made the promise that a Conservative government will establish a “Blue Seal” program for regulated professions where individuals who pass a national entry test will automatically become licensed regardless of where they obtained their degree, their experience, or any other factor.
Engineers Canada’s view:
Engineers Canada acknowledges the challenge that the current tariff dispute between Canada and the United States poses to our country’s economy. Our member regulators fully understand the need to reduce interprovincial barriers in order to support continued growth. Canada’s engineering regulators have been working for many years to reduce barriers to labour mobility for engineers across the country. Consistent with Canadian Free Trade Agreement requirements and existing provincial mobility legislation, engineering regulators have introduced efficient processes whereby they license each other’s registrants that are in good standing.
Engineers Canada’s current priority is to assist the regulators in further enhancing, harmonizing, and improving the policies, systems, and tools within the existing regulatory framework. In close collaboration with Canada’s engineering regulators, we will continue to support the development of new and improved systems and tools for fair, equitable, and competency-based assessment processes for new engineering applicants across the country. Read more here.
