The Quebec government has decided the province's engineers are unable to regulate themselves.

Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée announced Wednesday that Quebec's order of engineers is being placed under the trusteeship of the provincial government.

The move was approved by cabinet and follows a recommendation by the province's Office des Professions, the body which oversees the Quebec's professional bodies.

"The Office determines that the effective execution of its activities of control of the profession and the financial stability of the OIQ are seriously affected, to the point of putting in doubt the capacity of the OIQ of carrying out its primary mission of protecting the public," the Office said Wednesday in a news release.

Quebec Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée said the trusteeship will help put the Ordre back on its feet. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

In 2014, two experts were named by the Office to help the Ordre des ingénieurs straighten out a number of internal crises.

Those experts presented a list of recommendations in January of 2015. The Ordre submitted a report last month about how it intended to implement the recommendations.

'Insufficient' response

Vallée described the Ordre's report as "insufficient." She said much work needs to be done to ensure the Ordre can continue to "play its main role of protecting the public."

Vallée added that the trusteeship will help the Ordre's new president, Kathy Baig, put the organization back on its feet.

The Ordre said it will work with the government, but that it was let down by the announcement.

"The Ordre is disappointed by this decision, which comes after a year of efforts and results linked to its mission to protect the public," the Ordre said in a statement.

"Nevertheless, the Ordre will respect the decision."

The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec has more than 60,000 members. It is a self-governing body responsible for establishing the criteria required to qualify as an engineer and to monitor how the profession is practiced in the province.

As part of its trusteeship plan, the government will appoint three administrators to oversee how the organization is run.