Engineers Canada urges Alberta to reconsider change to rules around ‘engineer’ title
A group representing Canada’s engineering profession is urging Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to reconsider a proposal that aims to loosen restrictions around who can use the “engineer” title.
Engineers Canada said Friday that it opposes changes to the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act that would allow technology companies and workers to use the title “software engineer” without holding a professional engineering licence from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.
In a press release and letter to Smith, Engineers Canada chief executive Gerard McDonald said Bill 7, which would carve out an exception and allow software engineers and those with similar roles permission to use the title, undermines the public trust and compromises safety.
“This exemption and the open-ended nature of the regulations set a dangerous precedent for other jurisdictions in Canada,” said McDonald.
“It risks eroding the established framework of professional regulation and could extend beyond engineering, impacting fields such as medicine and health, among others.”
McDonald said he supports the growth of Alberta’s technology sector but wants to ensure those designing critical systems impacting health, finance and quality of life are held accountable for their actions and potential unethical behaviour.
He worries the current state of the bill tabled on Tuesday would allow the government to extend the exemption to other titles through regulations.
Mackenzie Blyth, press secretary for Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney, said in a statement that a ruling published Thursday by the Alberta Court of King’s Bench supports the government’s position that allowing the use of the term “software engineer” does
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