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                                 The Interview: Article 1

PROFESSIONALISM AND PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION
This past February, a front page article appeared in Computing Canada in which I was
interviewed as CIPS President on the subject of professionalism.  The article was
headlined "CIPS boss issues stern warning."  Then in March a follow-up article
appeared once again on the front page of Computing Canada and it was headlined
"IS professional fires back at CIPS president."   While I have not received any feedback
concerning the second article, I have received about 10 responses to the February
article.  The responses have included a couple of letters to the editor of Computing
Canada and the rest have been sent via the Internet.

In this article I will comment on my role as CIPS National President and provide an
update upon some of my activities during my term.  In subsequent articles this week,
I will provide my comments concerning the interview that has been the source of much
discussion at local section meetings.


CIPS NATIONAL PRESIDENT
The primary role of the CIPS National President is to help fulfil the vision and mission
of the Society.  Key responsibilities include presiding at the Annual General Meeting and
all meetings of the National Board and of the executive committee, report to the Board
of Directors on activities, visit as many sections as possible (budget permitting), and to
represent the Society to external bodies, government, the public, and the press.
     Vision 2000
        CIPS is the voice and champion for the Canadian IT profession
     Mission
        We fulfill our vision by:
                Defining and fostering the Canadian IT profession
                Encouraging and supporting the IT practitioner
                Advancing the theory and practice of IT, while
                Safeguarding the public interest
During my term as president, I have focussed much of my attention on taking the
message of professionalism and professional certification to employers in the private
and public sector.  In my discussions with members of the national executive and
national board, I have shared my concern that senior executives of Canadian
corporations and senior officials of all levels of government did not know very much
about our professional association or our efforts regarding professional certification.
I stated that as President all of my efforts would be directed towards making CIPS and
our initiatives more visible to senior executives.  I remain grateful to members of  the
national board and executive for their support.

MY CHALLENGE as PRESIDENT
My term as president has provided me with many challenges and opportunities.  The
primary challenge has been to ensure that I first fulfil my responsibilities as Director
of Information Technology for Edmonton Power Inc.  Over the past 11 months I have
been busy directing the implementation of new financial systems for my corporation.
During this major initiative, my company has: been incorporated (no longer a
department of the City of Edmonton), restructured by business line, acquired Edmonton
Water as a subsidiary, implemented a customer information system, and is now
commencing systems projects to implement new HR and Payroll systems this summer
and Work and Asset Management systems next year.  This has left little time for my
work as national president.

I have however, enjoyed much success in my work and have therefore also enjoyed
tremendous support from Edmonton Power in my role as national president.  Edmonton
Power has funded my CIPS travel and accommodation, conference registrations, and
donated my time away from the office.  Without  this level of support, I don't see how
an individual can volunteer for the president's position.

MY ACTIVITIES
The following information is provided to provide a quick overview of my activities
to-date.

Since May of 1995, I have travelled to the nation's capital on four separate occasions
to hold meetings with various senior officers of the federal government and with senior
executives of several Canadian companies.

Every meeting has a unique focus and requires significant preparation and follow up.
The national board provides tremendous support in this regard, and of course Pat Glenn
Interim Director of the External Liaison Portfolio has provided tremendous insight and
information.  Typically, the message may include several topics:
        - a description of CIPS and our geographic presence
        - our vision and mission
        - our contribution to the IT profession and industry
        - professional development and education
        - professional certification
        - influencing education:  accreditation
        - international affiliations
        - the right to practise (nationally and internationally)

During these meetings I ask for support of our initiatives.  This can
mean the senior individual agreeing to provide words of support for use in future CIPS
publications, a commitment to use the I.S.P. in their recruitment ads, a commitment to
encourage their internal IT staff and external IT consultants and contractors to acquire
the I.S.P. designation, a commitment to encourage their staff to hold membership in a
professional IT association, a commitment to involve CIPS in industry initiatives, or
of course a willingness to help fund some of our initiatives.

Meetings were held with the following companies, associations, and federal government
departments:
May 95, (Ottawa)
External Affairs and International Trade Canada,
        Tom MacDonald, United States Trade and Economic Policy Bureau
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade,
        Peter Fawcett, Multilateral Trade Institutions Division
Industry Canada,
        Keith Parsonage, Business Intelligence
Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA),
        Larry O'Brien, Chairman of the Board
Association professionnelle des informaticiens et informaticiennes du Quebec (APIIQ)
        Pierre Dupuis, President (Montreal)

December 95, (Ottawa)
Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA),
        John Reid, President
Industry Canada,
        David Mulcaster, Communications Development and Planning
Revenue Canada,
        Richard Manicom, Information Technology Branch
Data Processing Institute (DPI),
        Lynn Ogilvie, President
The Institute,
        Doug Redden
EDS Canada,
        Mark Slemon, Vice President and General Manager Government Services
Software Human Resources Council,
        Paul Swinwood, President
Cognos,
        Paul Renaud, Vice President
Fulcrum Technologies Inc.,
        Eric Goodwin, President and CEO
MetLife,
        Jim Klinck, Vice President and CIO
Information Technology Institute,
        Chip Wiest, Placement Counsellor

January, 96 (Ottawa)
Industry Canada,
        Les Arany, Service Industries and Capital Projects
        Tim Gerrard, Information Technologies Industry Branch
        Keith Parsonage, Business Intelligence
        Daniel Byron, International Business Development
        David Mulcaster, Communications Development and Planning
Citizenship and Immigration Canada,
        Linda MacDougall, Citizenship and Integration Policy Division
        Luce Charbonneau, Immigrant, Visitor and Refugee Programs Branch
Employment and Immigration Canada,
        Ian McRae, Occupational and Career Information Branch
Government Telecommunications and Informatics Services,
        John Riddle, VP Applications Management Services
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade,
        Ron Merrick, Trade Opportunities Division
        Robert Publicover, Technical Barriers and Regulations Division
        Gordon Morrison, Services, Investment and Intellectual Property Division
National Research Council
        Dr. Bryan Andrew, Director General (Interim)

April, 96 (Ottawa)
Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA),
        John Reid, President
Industry Canada,
        Les Arany, Service Industries and Capital Projects
        Tim Gerrard, Information Technologies Industry Branch
        Keith Parsonage, Business Intelligence
        David Mulcaster, Communications Development and Planning
Data Processing Institute (DPI),
        Lynn Ogilvie, President
The Institute,
        Doug Redden
Treasury Board  of  Canada Secretariat,
        Bob Little, Deputy Secretary, Financial and Information Management Branch
        Sharron Denofsky, Management of Information Technologies Office
        Lise Ouimet, Special Advisor to the Deputy Secretary
Canadian International Development Agency,
        Les Breiner, Technical Division Asia Branch
Consulting and Audit Canada,
        Gilles Nadeau, Senior Consultant International Services
Microstar Software Ltd.,
        Peter Jordan, Founder and CEO

As CIPS president I have attended the following dinner meetings and section events
across the country:
Vancouver (2 dinner meetings, fall conference)
Victoria (1 dinner meeting)
Edmonton (5 dinner meetings, fall conference)
Calgary (2 dinner meetings, IFIP meetings)
Red Deer (1 dinner meeting, 2 CIPS Alberta meetings)
Regina (national board meetings, meeting with local executive)
Winnipeg (Informatics, national board meetings)
London (1 breakfast meeting)
Kingston (1 dinner meeting with local executive)
Toronto (1 nat.exec. & 1 nat.board meeting, 2 meetings with local executive)
Ottawa (2 dinner meetings, 2 meetings with local executive)
Whitehorse* (1 local executive conference call)
Golden Horseshoe* (1 local executive conference call)

During the past twelve months, I have met with the following industry associations:
International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP)
        - Calgary hosted IFIP meetings in September
Association for System Management (ASM)
        - meetings to conclude an Affiliate Agreement with CIPS
Data Processing Institute (DPI)
        - meetings to conclude an Affiliate Agreement with CIPS
Association professionnelle des informaticiens et informaticiennes du Quebec (APIIQ)
        - meetings regarding provincial registration
CIPS Alberta and CIPS Ontario
        - meetings regarding provincial registration
Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC)
        - advancing the IT industry
Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA)
        - advancing the IT industry
Alberta Association for the Information Technology Sector (AAFITS)
        - advancing the IT industry
Ontario Training Trust Fund (OTTF)
        - education in the IT industry

As national president, I have also had the honour to represent CIPS at the following
events:
Canadian Information Productivity Awards (Toronto, Oct.95)
Alberta Science and Technology Awards (Calgary, Nov.95)
Managing Information Technology Effectively (June 95)
        - held at UWO, London Ontario
CIPS Informatics (Winnipeg, June.95)
CIPS Edmonton Fall Conference (Oct.95)
CIPS Vancouver Fall Conference (Nov.95)
CIPS Ottawa Student Event (April.96)

Of course, throughout the year I am involved monthly in national executive conference
calls and from time to time in conference calls of other national committees.
************
Kevin Brown, I.S.P.
President,
Canadian Information Processing Society