Alberta: opposition to changes in "engineer" title usage
Proposed Bill 7 in Alberta would amend the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act to allow individuals and corporations to use the word "engineer" in combination with "software" and call themselves words or phrases similar to "software engineer" without being licensed as a professional engineer. Engineers Canada has expressed strong opposition to the bill: "allowing the use of the term 'engineer' by unlicensed individuals undermines the public trust and compromises safety. . . . Across Canada, only those individuals who meet this high standard are allowed to call themselves an engineer. This is a national issue, and this decision sets Alberta apart from the standard practices observed in other Canadian provinces and territories. . . [and] set[s] a dangerous precedent for other jurisdictions in Canada."