The Wardens of Camp 7 Halifax would like to congratulate all of the participants of the 108th Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer Ceremony which was held on March 11, 2023 at the Halifax Convention Center. It was wonderful to be back to in-person ceremony again this year to be able to welcome the 390 BEng students from the Dalhousie University Faculty of Engineering and 14 senior candidates (internationally trained engineers) working in our Nova Scotia engineering community into Camp 7 Halifax.
The Wardens of Camp 7 Halifax would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank our sponsors for the 2023 Professional Luncheon held prior to the ceremony – Engineers Nova Scotia and the Faculty of Engineering at Dalhousie University.
Our next iron ring ceremony will be:
- Saturday March 9, 2024 at the Halifax Convention Center.
Please visit our webpage in December 2023 for updates on:
- Iron Ring Information Session (Date in January 2024 TBA)
- Ring Sizing & Registration (Dates in January 2024 TBA)
Who is eligible to register for the 2024 Iron Ring Ceremony?
- Dalhousie Undergraduate Engineering Students who are expected to complete their BEng program requirements in the Spring, Summer or Fall 2024 terms.
- Senior Candidates who are internationally trained engineers working or studying in Nova Scotia that can demonstrate they have met the qualifications from an accredited Canadian undergraduate engineering university program by being registered with one of the provincial professional engineer associations (Engineers Nova Scotia, for example).
For nearly a century, Canadian engineering graduates have been invited to voluntarily participate in “The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer”. Participants make a personal obligation to live by a high standard of ethical conduct regarding their duties and responsibilities towards themselves, other engineers and society in general. During the Ritual, the engineering graduates are welcomed to the profession of engineering by those that have preceded them. Over 500,000 engineering graduates have attended a Ritual ceremony in Canada. An iron ring has been given to each one, serving as a constant reminder to them and others of their obligation.
The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc. is a not-for-profit Canadian Corporation, managed by volunteers, whose purpose is to administer and regulate the use of “The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer”. Local groups, or Camps, across Canada are responsible for the delivery of the Ritual to candidates.
Camp 7 Halifax is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. We are all Treaty people. The mission of Camp 7 Halifax is to administer the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer ceremony for candidates whose graduation from the Bachelor of Engineering programs at Dalhousie University is imminent, and for internationally trained engineers who are pursuing graduate engineering degrees at Dalhousie University or who are working in our Nova Scotia engineering community. We welcome any feedback you may have for us on our annual ceremony in Camp 7 Halifax. Please feel free to contact us at anytime.
Iron Rings are worn by many Engineers in Canada, reminding those who wear it, and others, of their ethical obligation to live by a high standard of professional conduct in their service of the public. The Iron Ring is not a symbol of registration to practice as an Engineer in Canada. Qualification and registration to practice is the role and responsibility of the provincial and territorial licensing bodies.
Update on Review of the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer Ceremony:
The original Ritual was conceived in the 1920’s. Since then, Canada has become significantly more diverse. Over the years, several revisions have been made to the original text of the Ritual regarding gender neutrality and the removal of religious words and phrases.
The Corporation of the Seven Wardens launched the latest review of the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer in February 2022 with the mandate “to make the Ritual meaningful and inclusive for all candidates.” The Committee wishes to thank all the recently obligated engineering graduates, Camp volunteers, engineering associations of various kinds, and other stakeholders for responding to survey requests and offering individual submissions to assist the Committee to understand the key issues. Stakeholder sentiment ranged from leaving the ritual as-is to replacing it fully with new material. Most were in favour of changes between the two extremes. Sufficient evidence exists – both internally and externally – to support the need for changes to the Ritual and the candidate experience.
Although the Corporation recognized the need for change several years ago and made incremental changes to reduce concerns, it has become clear that the Ritual is still not fully meeting its intended purpose for a significant proportion of stakeholders. The Corporation addressed some of the concerns in Spring 2023 by issuing a directive to all 28 Camps across Canada to use a modified (interim) version of the Ritual. Further, it requested that Camps move, where possible, to open ceremonies at which family and friends of participants are invited to attend. While over 50% of Camps already had open ceremonies, the remainder have been directed to move towards the elimination of any perceived secrecy.
The Committee is currently developing the guiding principles and strategy as part of the second phase of its mandate. Four primary options for the Ritual are under consideration:
- Continue to use the modified (interim) version
- Make further refinements to address additional concerns
- Keep the best elements of the traditional Ritual & embed them in a modernized Ritual
- Maintain the purpose & intent but develop a completely modernized the Ritual.
A decision on the preferred option is expected this summer. Thereafter, the Committee will undertake a process to design and implement recommended changes to the Ritual. The entire undertaking requires careful thought, consideration and time. The Committee plans to engage one or more independent parties to provide unbiased feedback on the draft outcome. The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer was instituted with the simple end of directing the engineering graduates towards a consciousness of the engineering profession and its significance, and indicating to experienced engineers their responsibilities in receiving, welcoming and supporting the engineering graduates in their beginnings. The Corporation wishes that the outcome of the Committee’s work will honour the integrity of the Ritual to ensure that it continues to be relevant and enduring for the next 100 years.
Feedback about the Ritual can be provided by contacting the Ritual Review Committee at ritual_review@corp.ironring.ca