Bill to amend the Professional Code with respect to disciplinary justice: a step in the right direction according to the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

MONTREAL, March 18, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - As a participant in today's consultation on Bill number 17, An Act to amend the Professional Code with respect to disciplinary justice, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) welcomes this key step in the process of modernizing Québec's professional system.

"The measures proposed by the minister will result in more efficient and swifter disciplinary justice. They will help maintain, and even improve, the credibility of the professional system in the eyes of the public," stated Daniel Lebel, Eng., PMP, President of the OIQ.

Aware of the public's legitimate expectations of the professional system, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec submitted a brief with sixteen recommendations aimed at ensuring a smooth implementation of the bill.

More effective supervision of professional services firms

The OIQ also took the opportunity provided by the consultation to suggest that the government consider the levers that professional orders can use to better supervise professional services firms. In doing so, the government could also evaluate the feasibility of extending the jurisdiction of the professional system to include these firms.

If the professional system's jurisdiction is extended, the OIQ would have more control over the professional practice framework in firms that provide consulting engineering services in Québec, much like the OIQ's counterparts in most other Canadian provinces.

More specifically, the controls on legal entities could be based on the measures that currently apply to individuals. For example, they could include an OIQ admission process, inspection and prevention programs, and a disciplinary process for offenders of the applicable professional regulations. This would make it possible to control both the technical execution of engineering acts and the business practices of the firms that execute them.

Modernizing the Engineers Act

The OIQ also asked the government to make the modernization of the Engineers Act one of its priorities in the coming months. In fact, only a few minor amendments have been made to the Act since the 1960s, but science and the society's needs have evolved to some extent and the field of practice described in the Act no longer reflects the current reality.

"The public wants the orders to take significant, unsparing actions against the professionals who violate appropriate standards of conduct. Combined with Bill 17, these two items would enable the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec to more effectively fulfill its mission of protecting the public," asserted the President.

The brief submitted by the Ordre des ingénieur du Québec is available on its Web site (www.oiq.qc.ca).

About the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

Founded in 1920, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec has a membership of nearly 63,000 engineering professionals in all fields, except forest engineering. The mission of the OIQ is to ensure the protection of the public by supervising the practice of the profession within the framework of its constituent laws and ensure that the profession serves the public interest. For more information, go to http://www.oiq.qc.ca.

SOURCE: ORDRE DES INGENIEURS DU QUEBEC

Patrick Leblanc
Communications Advisor
Communications and Public Affairs Department
Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
514 845-6141 or 1 800 461-6141, extension 3253