Intro to Professionalism Fall 2009_Gillies

8/3/2019 Intro to Professionalism Fall 2009_Gillies

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Professionalism andProfessionalRegulation

Law and Ethics SeminarSeptember 2009

Jon A. Gillies, P.Eng., FEC


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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Professions

Characteristics of a profession and the Highest

Obligation How professions and occupations are regulated

Historical overview of engineering and geoscience in

Canada

Engineers Canada and CCPG Organizations APEGS Organization


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REPUTATIONYOUR REPUTATION AS A

PROFESSIONAL WILL BE ---

FINISH THE STATEMENT


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PROFESSIONSWhat is a profession? try to define the word

Who are professionals? lawyers? doctors? athletes?

police? sanitation workers? doctors? politicians? engineers/geoscientists?


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SENSES OF A PROFESSION

What is a profession?

In one sense . . .

A JOB OR OCCUPATION for which payment

is received. . . .

BUT

There is another sense . . . .


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What is a PROFESSION?From Andrews ( 2005, 2009) page 14 or11:

Profession: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive

preparation including instruction in skills and methodsas well as in the scientific, historical or scholarly

principles underlying such skills and methods Maintaining by force or organization or concerned

opinion high standards of achievement and conduct committing its members to continued study a kind of work which has for its prime purpose the

rendering of a public service


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WRIGHT:

Canadian Bar Review 1951

Elements present for a vocation to be called aprofession:

Holding out to the public, offer of public service Special skill a professional is assumed to have

Training and education

Privilege or state recognition

Self-disciplined group Unselfishness or freedom from purely personal

considerations


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LEGAL DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONBlacks Law Dictionary

An occupation requiring special, usually

advanced, education and skill. The labour

and skill involved in a profession is

predominantly mental or intellectual, ratherthan physical or manual.

Originally contemplated only theology, law

and medicine but extended as applications of

science and learning were extended.

Attainment of special knowledge as

distinguished from mere skill.


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OCCUPATIONAL and

PROFESSIONAL REGULATIONSome types of professional and occupationalregulation in Saskatchewan are:

Fee for right-to-work (door-to-door salespeople)

Self-administered but government regulated (insuranceagents)

Licensed by government (various trades)

Associations under Non-Profit Corporations Act (mediators)

Self Regulated:

right-to-title (interior designers, technologists)

right-to-title and right-to-practice (engineers andgeoscientists)


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SELF-REGULATIONEngineering and Geoscience meet the criteria forself-regulation with right-to-practice status:

Commitment to safeguarding the public interest is paramount

Engineering and Geoscience are identifiable professions andare accepted by the public as professions

Code of Ethics

Specialized Academic and Experience standards

Administered by APEGS which ensures only qualified engineersand geoscientists practice


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SENSES of a PROFESSIONConcerning Engineering and Geoscience

obtaining a bachelors degree

doing work commonly recognized as

being registered and licensed as a professional

acting in a morally and an ethically responsible

manner while practicing


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Historical Overview of Engineering

in Canada Engineering has existed since ancient times

Canada has a rich history of engineering and

geoscience achievement CSCE - 1887

EIC - 1918

Provincial Acts in Canada began 1920

APES in 1930 and APEGS in 1997

Engineers Canada (formerly Canadian Council ofProfessional Engineers) - mid 1930s


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ENGINEERS CANADA

Engineers Canada adopted as the

business name for the CCPE in 2007

Legal name remains Canadian Council

of Professional Engineers (CCPE)


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ENGINEERS CANADA ORGNCCPE ORGANIZATION CHART

Canadian Engineering

Qualifications Board

(CEQB)

Canadian Engineering

Accreditation Board

(CEAB)

Other CCPE

Committees

Canadian Council

of Professional Engineers

(CCPE)

Provincial and Territorial

Associations


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CEAB and CEQB The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board

accredits engineering programs in Canada

The Canadian Engineering Qualifications Boarddevelops guidelines which seek to bring about

uniform requirements for registration across

Canada - (licensing is a provincial responsibility)

Refer to Engineers Canada documents providedon the APEGS Web site under Professional

Practice Exam


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Historical Overview of Geoscience in

Canada Regulation of geoscientists was first started in

Alberta

Saskatchewan first regulated geoscientists with

the new Act in 1997

No regulation in PEI and Yukon (yet)

Regulated with engineering in BC, Alberta,Saskatchewan, Manitoba, NB, Nfld. & Labradorand Northwest Territories & Nunavut

Regulated separate from engineering in Ontario,Quebec and Nova Scotia


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Geoscience at the National Level

CCPG - The Canadian Council of

Professional Geoscientists

CGSB - The Canadian Geoscience Standards

Board


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www.ccpg.ca


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CCPG Organization


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DEFINITION OF THE PRACTICE OF

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING Engineers Canada

Means any act of planning, designing

composing, evaluating, reporting, directingor supervising, or managing any of theforegoing, that requires the application ofengineering principles, and that concerns

the safeguarding of life, health, property,economic interests, the public welfare orthe environment.


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APEGS DEFINITIONS

Professional Engineering:

- Refer to the Act

Professional Geoscience:

- Refer to the Act


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OBJECTS OF APEGS(Act - Sec. 5)

Ensure the proficiency and competency of themembers in order to safeguard the public.

Regulate the practice of engineering andgeoscience in accordance with the Act andBylaws.

Promote and improve the proficiency andcompetency of members.

Foster the practice of professionalengineering and professional geoscience in amanner that is in the public interest.


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APEGS ORGANIZATIONAPEGS Organization Chart

APEGS Staff

Committees

Governance

Board

Committees

Image and Identity

Board

Committees

Education

Board

Council

Members

Society

Investigation

Committee Committee

Discipline


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MOBILITY

Professional Engineers andGeoscientists registered with oneAssociation often must work in otherregions of Canada or internationally.

APEGS is a signatory to the Inter-

Association Mobility Agreements (bothengineering and geoscience).


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MOBILITY

- continuedIAMA registration if: Professional Member is in good standing.

If applicant has been disciplined for

professional incompetence or professionalmisconduct, there must be no outstandingdisciplinary order.

Agrees to exchange of personal information(between host and home Associations)

Meets the continuing competencyrequirements of the host Association or home

Association.


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MOBILITY

- continuedAgreement on Internal Trade (AIT) July 1,1995

An agreement between Canadas federal

provincial and territorial governments toeliminate interprovincial barriers to the freemovement of workers, goods, services andinvestments.

The labour mobility chapter aims to ensure

any worker certified to perform a professionby a regulator in one province will be grantedcertification upon application in anotherprovince without additional training, workexperience or examinations .


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Professional Engineers and ProfessionalGeoscientists should expect to become

registered in other jurisdictions withouthaving their credentials reassessed.

The agreement has yet to be tested for

compliance.

MOBILITY - continued


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MOBILITY

- continuedOn the International Scene:Agreements to recognize academic credentials with:

Australia

Ireland New Zealand

United Kingdom

United States

South Africa

Hong Kong France

These agreements have been negotiated by EngineersCanada


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ETHICS OF A PROFESSIONAL

Advanced knowledge and abilities fromspecialized education and practicalexperience.

Limit activities to areas of knowledge andexperience.

Ensure competence is maintained.

Practice according to the Code of Ethics.

Recognize and support the role of theirAssociation as delegated by society.

Refer to section 20 of Regulatory Bylaws.


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THE HIGHEST OBLIGATION

The Engineers Canada guide toprofessional practice states:

.... the highest obligation of a profession isto society, which it serves; the members ofa profession shall protect the interests ofsociety in the areas of the professionals

specialized expertise. This obligation risesabove all others when there are conflictingresponsibilities.


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THE HIGHEST OBLIGATION(Continued)

As a part of this social contract, therecognized professions in Canada have

been given the authority and responsibilityto be self-regulating under their respectiveprovincial and territorial legislation, and toensure only qualified professionals are

licensed to practice.


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Questions or Comments?

Intro to Professionalism Fall 2009_Gillies

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