Every province and territory in Canada has an Act that regulates engineering.

The primary mandate of any professional regulatory organization (PRO) in Canada, such as ASET (Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta) or APEGA, is the protection of the public. This principle is enshrined in the provincial Acts, such as the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act (EGPA) in Alberta. The legislation grants self-regulatory powers to these professional bodies not to protect the financial interests, compensation levels, or job security of the members, but exclusively to ensure that the public is protected from incompetent or unethical practice. By regulating who can enter the profession, maintaining strict standards of educational and experiential practice, enforcing a Code of Ethics, and administering a disciplinary process for those who fail to meet these standards, the Act ensures that engineering technologists and professionals hold public safety and welfare paramount. Therefore, clauses explicitly stating the mandate to protect the public and ensure public welfare are foundational and universally present in all provincial and territorial acts regulating engineering and applied science technology across Canada.