Career Development Professionals have a responsibility to themselves, to their clients, and to the field of career development. The purpose of this Code of Ethics is to provide professional boundaries and practical directives for professional behavior and practice for those who offer services in career development. The seven sections and 60 articles in the Code of Ethics are intended to be combined with each other to address the multiple diverse and contextualized situations that CDPs face in their daily delivery of career development services.

The new Code of Ethics is intended as a platform for the Canadian Competencies for Career Development Professionals. It is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of the field as an essential component of the national competencies. 

In addition to the articles within this Code of Ethics, Career Development Professionals must engage actively in the process of ethical decision-making. To assist professionals in this activity, a series of ethical decision-making models are provided within the text.

The Code of Ethics was developed and updated from the Canadian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Professionals Code of Ethics (2004) in combination with the Pan-Canadian Competency Framework for Career Development Professionals (2021). Special appreciation is extended to the Canadian Career Development Foundation, and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association for their exemplary collaboration to create this document.