The Calling of an Engineer () is a private ceremony, authored by Rudyard Kipling, in which students about to graduate from an engineering program at a university in Canada are permitted to participate. Participation may also be permitted for Canadian professional engineers or have otherwise qualified academically for registration as a professional engineer (such as through technical examinations). The Calling is administered by a body called The Corporation of the Seven Wardens. As part of the ceremony each participant is conferred the Iron Ring.

History

The ceremony, originally a ritual, traces its origins to professor H. E. T. Haultain of the University of Toronto, who believed and persuaded other members of the Engineering Institute of Canada that there needed to be a ceremony and standard of ethics developed for graduating engineers. This was in response to the Quebec Bridge Disaster in which 75 workmen died due to faulty engineering calculations and miscommunication. The ritual was created in 1922 by Rudyard Kipling at the request of Haultain, representing seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada. The seven past-presidents were the original seven wardens of the corporation.

An inaugural ceremony was held in the evening of 25 April 1925, at the University Club of Montreal, when the obligation was taken by six engineers, some of whom were involved with Kipling in its development. On 1 May 1925, three of these newly obligated engineers met at the University of Toronto with a number of the officers of the Engineering Alumni Association and obligated 14 of them in the Senate Chamber of the university becoming the first local chapter (referred to as a camp) to do so. Fairbairn met with Harry F. McLean, president of Dominion Construction and Kipling in Montreal at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel to discuss the details of the ritual. Fairbairn later visited McLean at his home in Merrickville, Ontario, to secure a sizeable donation from McLean, philanthropist, on behalf of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens, the custodian and administrator of the ritual, to ensure its survival.

The Calling and the conferring of the Iron Ring continues to be administered by The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc./Société des Sept Gardiens inc. through camps associated with the universities granting degrees in engineering in Canada.

<span id="Ritual">Ceremony</span>

The Calling takes place separately at individual Camps across Canada usually situated near an engineering university. The ceremonies are separate, organised by one of 28 camps of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens for administrative purposes.

The Obligation, which is not an oath but a solemn expression of intention, is subscribed to at the ceremony. The Obligation essentially states the duties and responsibilities of the engineer. Following the Obligation, the Iron Ring is placed on the little finger of the working hand, and is worn by the engineer as a symbol and a reminder. As originally conceived, the engineer's iron ring rubs against the drawings and paper upon which the Engineer writes and even in modern times, serves as a reminder when working on a computer.

Previously, a biblical passage was quoted: 2 Esdras, Chapter 4, Verses 5–10. More generally today, Kipling's poem the Hymn of Breaking Strain is recited.

The Obligation is private, though not necessarily secret.

thumb|left|alt=I (long dotted space for name) in the presence of these my betters and my equals in my Calling, bind myself upon my Honor and Cold Iron, that, of the best of my knowledge and power, I will not henceforward suffer or pass, or be privy to the passing of, Bad Workmanship or Faulty Material in aught that concerns my works before mankind as an Engineer, or in my dealings with my own Soul before my Maker. (paragraph break) MY TIME I will not refuse; my Thought I will not grudge; my Care I will not deny toward the honor, use, stability and perfection of any works to which I may be called to set my hand. (paragraph break) MY FAIR WAGES for that work I will openly take. My Reputation in my Calling I will honourably guard; but I will in no way go about to compass or wrest judgement or gratification from any one with whom I may deal. And further I will early and warily strive my uttermost against professional jealously and the belittling of my professional colleagues in any field of their labour. (paragraph break) FOR MY ASSURED FAILURES and derelictions I ask pardon beforehand of my betters and my equals in my Calling here assembled; praying that in the hour of my temptations, weakness and weariness, the memory of this my Obligation and of the company before whom it was entered into, may return to me to aid, comfort and restraint.|The obligation spoken at the Calling of an Engineer

As part of the preparation for the Calling, candidates are instructed not to discuss the details of the ceremony with the media. A reminder of this is provided at the end of the ceremony in the form of a written instruction that states: "The Rule of Governance provides that there shall be no publicity in connection with the Ritual."

The Calling of an Engineer has a very simple purpose: To direct the newly qualified engineer toward a consciousness of the profession and its social significance and indicating to the more experienced engineer their responsibilities in welcoming and supporting the newer engineers when they are ready to enter the profession.

The ring symbolizes the pride which engineers have in their profession, while simultaneously reminding them of their humility. The ring serves as a reminder to the engineer and others of the engineer's obligation to live by a high standard of professional conduct.

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| 1. Toronto

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  • University of Toronto
  • Toronto Metropolitan University
  • University of Ontario Institute of Technology
  • York University

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| 2. Montreal

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  • McGill University
  • Concordia University
  • Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
  • Polytechnique Montréal (Université de Montréal)
  • École de technologie supérieure (Université du Québec)
  • Université du Québec à Montréal

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| 3. Kingston

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  • Queen's University
  • Royal Military College of Canada

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| 4. Saskatoon

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  • University of Saskatchewan

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| 5. Vancouver

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  • University of British Columbia
  • Simon Fraser University
  • British Columbia Institute of Technology

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| 6. Edmonton

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  • University of Alberta

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| 7. Halifax

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  • Dalhousie University

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| 8. Winnipeg

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  • University of Manitoba

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| 9. Fredericton

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  • University of New Brunswick

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|10. Quebec City

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  • Université Laval
  • Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
  • Université du Québec à Rimouski

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| 11. London

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  • University of Western Ontario

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| 12. Ottawa

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  • Carleton University
  • University of Ottawa
  • Université du Québec en Outaouais

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| 13. Hamilton

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  • McMaster University

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| 14. Windsor

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  • University of Windsor

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| 15. Waterloo

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  • University of Waterloo
  • Conestoga College

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| 16. Sherbrooke

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  • Université de Sherbrooke

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| 17. Guelph

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  • University of Guelph

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| 18. Calgary

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  • University of Calgary

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| 19. Moncton

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  • Université de Moncton

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| 20. St. John's

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  • Memorial University of Newfoundland

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| 21. Thunder Bay

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  • Lakehead University

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| 22. Sudbury

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  • Laurentian University

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| 23. Victoria

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  • University of Victoria

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| 24. Trois-Rivières

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  • Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

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| 25. Regina

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  • University of Regina

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| 26. Kelowna

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  • University of British Columbia Okanagan

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|27. Charlottetown

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  • University of Prince Edward Island

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|28. Prince George

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  • University of Northern British Columbia

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See also

  • Engineering traditions in Canada
  • Order of the Engineer

Notes

References

Further reading

  • <!-- pages 54-55 -->
  • <!-- pages 98-99 -->
  • The Calling of an Engineer website
  • Information Relevant to the Iron Ring Ceremony, compiled by Dr. J. Jeswiet, 22 November 2001. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  • Archival papers are held at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services