The Professions in Canada

The Professions in Canada Until recently, professionals enjoyed high status in Canada. Wise, learned and compassionatedoctors, lawyers and clergymen were regarded as the embodiment of moral probity and social responsibility. Armed with esoteric knowledge, they battled disease, crimeand sin for an ever admiring and deferential laity. Benign and apolitical, they were an incorruptible force dedicated to public service, progressand social order. Although admired for their altruism, in the lastfew decades the professions have fallen in public esteem. Onceconsidereda means for the non-capitalist middleclass to achieve independence and success in a society dominated by large corporate interests, critics see the professions, especially the self-governing professions, as monopolistic barriers to individuals and ideas. Theseprivate governments entrench privilegedelites, restrictcompetition, raise fees - even shield incompetence. They have become, in George Bernard Shaw's words, "conspiracies against the laity," apparently more dedicated to self-interest than the public interest. Moreover, consumers ofprofessional services have becomediscontented. The rising cost and unequal distribution ofservices, the spectacle ofprofessionals and para-professionals fighting overjurisdiction, sensational media coverageofmalpractice , imcompetence and strikes have undermined professional authority and prompted demands for more public accountability by professionals. Meanwhile, a host of new professionals - administrators, educators, social workers, health-care workers, financial advisors, techniciansand many more - have risen to prominence in business, governmentand other key institutions to rival the authority of doctors, lawyers and clergymen. Their expertise is scientific and managerial; their values are materialistic and technocratic. Collectively, this nonelected elite exercises unprecedented influence overpractically all aspects ofCanadian life. Individually, they seek more power to govern themselves. Out of the conflicting demands for public accountability and professional autonomy, questions ofpublicpolicy arise. These include, for example, thesupply ofand access to the professions, especially for minorities; standards ofprofessional education; funding of educational and health-care facilities and the regulation of professional practice, particularly the maintenance ofhigh ethical standards. Although most scholars accept that the professions are an important part of modem life, there is remarkably little agreement on how to define them, much less explain their evolution and significance. Researchers from various disciplines approach the subject from radically differentperspectives. This special issue brings together scholars from history, comparative literature, business administration,· political science, economics, philosophy, and sociology. Working from theirown definitions, they explore various aspects ofthe professions. Colin Howell examines the impact ofmedical professionalization on traditional class relationships in the Maritimes. Focusingon !'EcolePolytechniquede Montreal, Jean-Claude Guedon analyzes the professional development ofQuebec engineers. Alan Richardson reveals how Ontario's chartered accountants used educational Journal ofCanadian Studies Vol. 27. No. I (Primemps 1992 Spring) 3 standards to structure and control accountancy. Richard Willie studies the values, attitudes and ideals that shaped the privateand professional LivesofManitoba lawyers before 1900. Carolyn Tuohyand PatriciaO'Reilly considertwo modelsofprofessionstate relationships using medicine as anexample. David Stagerexplains the implications ofgovernment intervention in labour supply planning for lawyers. Abbyann Lynch raises important ethical questions confronting physicians and society. Finally, Pat Armstrong and Hugh Armstrong document patterns ofsex segregation within and among professions. Although not comprehensive or definitive, these articles reflect the growing interest in the study ofthe professions in Canada. Contributors present new ways to study the professions and raise important questions about their formation and development, role and significance. 4 J. RODNEY MILLARD The University ofWestern Ontario Revue detudes canadiennes ...