On behalf of engineering regulators in all of Canada’s provinces and territories, 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.
“This is a critical time for Canadians and for our economy,” says Philip Rizcallah, P.Eng., Chief Executive Officer of Engineers Canada. “We commend initiatives from across the political spectrum to work with regulated professions like engineering. Engineers support the desire to remove barriers while upholding our profession’s fundamental commitment to public safety.”
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, regulators have introduced efficient processes whereby they license each other’s registrants that are in good standing, i.e. not currently suspended and meeting all the necessary licensing requirements in their home province or territory. This process allows the provincial and territorial regulators to ensure that applicants are properly licensed, which is imperative for the continuing protection of public safety.
Additionally, in May 2024, Canada’s twelve provincial and territorial engineering regulators signed a National Statement of Collaboration. The NSC commits regulators to increased alignment on regulatory practices, even apart from licensing. The goal is to further break down barriers and streamline labour mobility across the country.
Public safety is the highest priority for engineers as it is for their regulatory bodies. Regulation ensures that engineers are held accountable for maintaining the high ethical and professional standards needed to protect the public. Regulation also permits the imposition of disciplinary sanctions on engineers who engage in unsafe or incompetent practices.
Proposed changes to the current interprovincial licensure requirements could potentially create conditions where the engineering regulators are less able to investigate and discipline engineers who are not specifically licensed within their jurisdiction. We will work with provinces and the federal government to make sure that this type of gap does not emerge.
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. We are all committed to enhance collaboration and harmonization and reducing barriers to movement of engineers. We have made significant progress over the last decade and are continuing to make meaningful improvements.
Engineers Canada also remains committed to collaborating with the federal government as national mobility initiatives evolve. Together with regulators across the country, we strive to maintain a robust, fair, and responsive engineering licensure system that meets the economic requirements of communities across Canada while always prioritizing public safety.
For more information on the mobility of engineering practice within Canada, visit the Engineers Canada website.
