On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, members of Engineers Canada’s Bridging Government and Engineers Committee, Public Affairs Advisory Committee, and Engineers Canada staff met with parliamentarians and their staff to raise awareness of the issues directly affecting the engineering profession across Canada.
On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, members of Engineers Canada’s Bridging Government and Engineers Committee, Public Affairs Advisory Committee, and Engineers Canada staff met with parliamentarians and their staff to raise awareness of the issues directly affecting the engineering profession across Canada.
Engineers Canada’s 2018 Hill Day focused on incorporating climate change vulnerability assessments into decisions on major infrastructure projects, and Engineers Canada’s efforts in supporting women, girls, and Indigenous Peoples in STEM—specifically in engineering. This year, Engineers Canada met with 56 parliamentarians that included members of Parliament, ministers’ offices, senators, and public servants. Among the dozens of meetings, Engineers Canada met with Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, Karen McCrimmon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, and representatives for the ministers of Science, Infrastructure Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Employment, Transport Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Workforce Development and Labour Canada, Innovation, and Science and Economic Development Canada.
The full day of meetings was ended with an afternoon reception in the Speakers Lounge in Centre Block, which included remarks from House of Commons Speaker Geoff Regan, and members of Parliament Sheila Malcolmson, Marilyn Gladu, P.Eng., and Nick Whalen, P.Eng. In their remarks, each recognized the important role that engineers play in Canadian society. More than 40 parliamentarians attended the reception, including the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Kim Rudd, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Karen McCrimmon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Peter Schiefke, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Youth), Don Rusnak, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, Senator Joseph Day, Leader of Senate Liberal Caucus, and Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada. The reception also saw MPs Gladu and Whalen—both engineers—face off in a friendly four-minute tower building competition.
