Consulting engineering services typically go unnoticed by the average consumer. Yet, the practitioners in this industry have a major role in the design, building and management of our physical environment. Engineers have a large, though largely unseen, impact on our everyday life. Once this is realized the following questions take on added importance for both members of the industry and the general public. What are the influences that affect the demand for engineering services? Why is the industry primarily comprised of pure consulting firms and what size is engineering in the national economy? Is Canada a major player in the international engineering and design industry? What role do the various levels of government have in this industry? Should governments do more -or less- for the industry? What are the industry's prospects for the future?

In this study, written for the general reader and specialist alike, these and related questions are addressed. The answers provide a comprehensive economic analysis of contemporary consulting engineering in Canada.