High Standards of Engineering Practice and Ethical Conduct Engineering in Canada is regulated in the public interest by self-governing professional licensing bodies. These bodies were established by Canada's 13 provincial and territorial governments through Engineering Acts. Essentially, the provincial and territorial governments have delegated their constitutional authority to regulate engineers and engineering in Canada to professional licensing bodies that are maintained and governed by the profession, creating a system of self-regulation. Self-regulation recognizes that the engineering profession itself, at the provincial and territorial level, is best positioned to regulate the practice of engineering in a manner that protects both the public and the environment. Engineering's 12 licensing bodies fulfil this mandate by ensuring high standards of engineering practice and education in Canada, by setting high standards for admission into the profession, by disciplining engineers who fail to uphold the profession's practice and ethical standards, and by preventing the misuse of the title "engineer" by individuals who are not licensed members of the profession. They also take appropriate action to prevent the illegal practice of engineering by unlicensed individuals. Each licensing body's mandate and obligation to undertake this role is laid out in the Engineering Act through which it was created. Although each Act is slightly different, most also define a scope of practice for engineers and specifically restrict the use of the title engineer to individuals who have been licensed by the engineering licensing body in the province or territory in which the Act applies. Although each engineering licensing body in Canada has a full-time staff, much of their work is undertaken by volunteers. Those volunteers are professional engineers who take pride in their profession and what the P.Eng. represents. They serve on discipline and enforcement committees, boards of directors, and admission committees to ensure that the profession fulfils its mandate to regulate the practice of engineering in the public interest. Their work means employers can be confident that professional engineers have the right education, the right skills and the right attitude to help their business build business. It also means that engineering students, as well as professional engineers, can be proud of belonging to a profession whose members have gained an international reputation for excellence, and share a commitment to enhance the quality of life, health, safety and well-being of Canadians. In some provinces and territories, the profession and its volunteers also regulate the practice of engineering at a business level. A number of the Engineering Acts require companies that are undertaking engineering work to be licensed by their provincial or territorial engineering licensing body. Links to the Web sites of Canada's 12 engineering licensing bodies are available in section 5.1 of this site. Although there are 13 provinces and territories in Canada, there are only 12 engineering licensing bodies, as Nunavut's government has mandated the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of the Northwest Territories to regulate the practice of engineering within its jurisdiction. To out find out more about the requirements for licensure and the regulation of the engineering practice in a specific province or territory, contact the engineering licensing body in that jurisdiction. TOP