Case Study
Consultant Case Study
Professional Engineers Ontario’s Government Liaison Program: The One to Watch
By Howard Brown F
or years, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) op- erated in the background. Their work was dignified and well-respected, but their voice was small. That
started to change in 2002. That year, legislation was introduced that directly con- tradicted the Professional Engineers Act and the role as- signed to PEO as the regulatory body for engineers in the province. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing was amending the Ontario Building Code. Under the new legislation, designers - including engineers - would have to qualify and register with the ministry in order to continue their work associated with building permit applications. Set to take effect in January 2006, PEO was at a loss. Their opposition was palpable. The legislation interfered
in the regulatory rights of the governing body of the engi- neering profession. It not only duplicated PEO’s regulatory role, it proved they had little influence despite representing (at the time) 70,000 engineers in the province. The question PEO raised was simple. How could a reg-
ulator representing this many professionals carry so little weight on legislation that directly, and negatively, affects them?
PEO’s recommendations against the amendments had
fallen on deaf ears – that is, until a meeting was held with then Attorney General Michael Bryant, the minister re- sponsible for engineers in the province. The Attorney Gen- eral’s answer was straight forward. If PEO wanted a voice in legislation, they would have to educate legislators on the value of self-regulation. Bryant advised that you need to create a buzz in all areas of the province to get the issue on their radar screen. PEO’s CEO and Registrar Kim Allen, P.Eng., listened
to Minister Bryant and spearheaded a solution. If strength could not be found in speaking for 70,000 members, then it needed to be found in using pockets of smaller ones. Fol- lowing this school of thought, PEO’s Government Liaison Program (GLP) was born. PEO chapters capitalized on the strength and reach of its
local chapters, each creating its own GLP committee. The goal was threefold; build strong, on-going relationships be- tween the 37 PEO chapters and their local MPPs; actively
22 Campaigns & Elections | Canadian Edition
monitor and take action on policy proposals and upcoming legislation affecting PEO and the Professional Engineers Act; and provide communications and policy support to express PEO’s positions to government policy makers. Resources were then developed to educate members on
the political process, who would then educate MPPs on PEO issues. This proved crucial as most members had never engaged in public affairs. Initially, 70 engineers from local chapters were trained as spokespeople to represent PEO. During the six-month pilot project, over 20 meetings were held with key ministers, parliamentary assistants and back- benchers at Queen’s Park and local ridings. “The message was working and thinking locally became
the solution to opening the door for PEO in government,” said Allen. The GLP was made permanent and a space was reserved
in the engineering trade publication Engineering Dimen- sions to update members and highlight chapter successes. PEO’s influence in government started to gain a voice. To date, engineers have met with over 80 MPPs, most on
multiple occasions, held annual Queen’s Park days, influ- enced legislation and hosted candidate colleges to garner interest in engineers running for political office.
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