September 9, 2008

Consulting engineers say sustainable development should be key election issue

QUEBEC CITY

As far as the Canadian consulting engineering industry is concerned, sustainable development should rank as a key issue in the upcoming federal election campaign.

“We want to impress upon candidates that the engineering community can meet Canada’s environmental goals through quality designs that emphasis sustainable performance,” says Jeff Morrison, president of the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC).

“We also think that the government needs to reorient its international assistance envelope to focus on sustainable projects throughout the world, using the expertise of Canadian engineers. We are hoping that candidates will commit to reviewing our foreign assistance envelope.”

In an interview, Morrison said the association also would like to see Canada’s national infrastructure debt on the table as well during the campaign.

“Progress has been made on addressing our nation’s infrastructure needs,” he said. “We want the parties to reaffirm their commitments to addressing this massive deficit.”

Generally speaking, Morrison said, the association is anxious to impress upon candidates that the engineering industry “is ready and willing” to work in partnership with government to meet a host of issues on its agenda.

ACEC represents some 600 independent consulting engineering firms and 11 provincial and territorial organizations. It is co-hosting the annual conference of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, which wraps up today.

— Patricia Williams

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