Abstract

The number of professional archaeologists in Canada has continued to grow at a rapid rate. As new professional archaeologists enter the work force, they are confronted with a work environment that is much more complex than their past experiences, and especially their past training, has ever prepared them for. Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of being a new archaeologist is learning how to deal with professionals from other disciplines, especially in the consulting world. Other new professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, engineers and foresters, have the benefit of entering into their work environment with an established professional code of ethics and procedures, and can become members of an organization that maintains, promotes and defends these ethics. They can always draw upon their professional corp for ethical guidance, educational upgrading and even dispute settlement. There has been some effort to create professional archaeological organizations in this country, but many have as their foundation exclusionist principles, or are focused on a regional basis. Those that espouse the broader professional view have not caught on, even though the benefits they can provide are obvious. In summary, archaeologists in Canada have no established archaeological creed, nor are they even taught in university that having professional ethical standards just might be a good thing. This paper examines the professional standards and protocols developed by other disciplines, reviews past efforts in promoting Canadian professionalism and proposes some new ideas about how Canadian archaeologists can cooperate to build their own professional society.