The agreement makes Canada's professional engineer designation, P.Eng., equivalent to Australia's chartered professional engineer designation, CPEng., for Canadian professional engineers who want to work in Australia. It also enables Australian CPEngs to become licensed in Canadian jurisdictions after taking the professional practice exam, which covers Canadian engineering law and ethics, and earning a year of equivalent experience.

Developed in part with financial support from the government of Canada, the agreement must now be ratified by the 12 provincial and territorial associations that comprise the constituent membership of Engineers Canada.

"Like Engineers Canada, it is clear that Engineers Australia aims to achieve a high standard of excellence in the profession," says Marie Lemay, P.Eng., chief executive officer of Engineers Canada. "The agreement…will advance opportunities of mobility for Canadian and Australian engineers, assist in over-coming skills shortages, and I am confident that it will also facilitate the increased sharing of knowledge and ideas between our two countries."

According to Rolfe Hartley, CPEng., national president of Engineers Australia, the agreement will be a benchmark for his organization to develop similar arrangements with other countries.
"In this era where multidisciplinary solutions to major problems and projects are the norm," says Hartley, "it is essential that countries work together to streamline registration and
licensing procedures for professional services to increase efficiency and effectiveness, both within and beyond free-trade agreements."