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this page President's Perspective: National Mobility Is In Reach If We Work Together! By Maureen C. Jensen, P.Geo.As you are all aware, mobility is one of the biggest issues that professional geoscientists and their provincial/territorial associations are facing at the present time. One part of this issue is how to actually achieve national mobility in a provincial/territorial-based licensing regime, and the second is how to ensure consistency in licensing standards across the different jurisdictions. To achieve the first, associations must agree to recognize other provinces/territories’ licensure processes and to fast track the acceptance of licensed professional geoscientists from other jurisdictions. To achieve the second goal, common knowledge-based and experienced-based standards must be agreed to and applied in all jurisdictions. National geoscience syllabi agreed upon by all members of CCPG would be a huge step towards achieving the second goal. From all reports, it seems the Canadian Geoscience Standards Board (CGSB), of the Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists (CCPG), is making very good progress in developing national syllabi to define the academic knowledge requirements for professional geoscience licensure in Canada. Their task is not an easy one. It is reported that the Board is working on a syllabus for each of the three geoscience disciplines—geology, environmental geoscience and geophysics. The results of this collaboration will be important to the profession’s wellbeing and is very commendable. Success in this venture will go a long way towards increasing the understanding of all of the licensing and admissions practices across the country and will promote mutual trust and respect. Don Kent, P. Geo., Chair of the CGSB, the members of CGSB and others representing the CCPG constituent associations across the country, all deserve our support and congratulations for the great work they are doing. APGO is looking forward to receiving the completed CGSB proposal, to studying it and to providing feedback as necessary. Once an agreement on the proposed syllabi is achieved the geoscience profession will have a common framework for licensure education. Educators and prospective members will also understand what the licensing bodies are using to guide licensing decisions. I believe this is an important step as we move to address the important issue of national mobility for professional geoscientists. From the recently published Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada-commissioned Institute of Governance’s Survey on Mobility of Geoscientists in Canada: Results; it is clear to me that we can no longer continue to ignore the fact that the present Inter-Association mobility arrangement simply does not meet the needs of Canadian professional geoscientists. Plans being contemplated to “fine tune” the current agreement will only provide a partial solution to the problem. It seems quite clear that in order for us to have meaningful mobility for professional geoscientists in every Canadian jurisdiction, we must take an objective look at what we want to achieve. This approach will enable us to construct a mobility model that addresses the reality of geoscience practice—one that recognizes that geoscientists are by far one of the most mobile professionals in this country. Let’s work together to get our licensing bodies to address these concerns in an effective manner. I believe that before we can move forward we must embrace new ways of thinking and be willing to work in a co-operative manner. We do not have to look farther than the current CGSB for an example of want is achievable with good leadership and sound teamwork. It is, therefore, my belief that we can all work together with CCPG to develop a viable professional geoscience mobility model. Let’s do it for the good of our profession and for our members’ sake! |
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