Changes to Professional Regulation

On November 24, 2022, the new Health Professions and Occupations Act (formerly known as Bill 36) was passed by the BC government after a legislative process that Doctors of BC and others have criticized as lacking meaningful engagement and consultation with key partners.

When fully in force, the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) will replace the current Health Professions Act, which has been in place for approximately 30 years. The Ministry of Health states that the HPOA envisions a consolidated regulatory landscape with modernized colleges to improve their capacity to regulate in the public interest. 

Bylaw consultations

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is seeking feedback on draft bylaws it developed for the HPOA, grouped into 16 sections, through three online consultation opportunities taking place between March and June 2025. The first consultation, which opened on March 3, focuses on:

  • The Board
  • Committees
  • CPSBC Records and Information
  • Permits
  • Professional Responsibilities

Doctors of BC anticipates the volume of consultation material will be significant and require an overwhelming amount of your time to review and provide feedback. To support you, we will be seeking your input on a collective response that we will develop and submit directly to the College. We will also provide you with information to help you submit your individual input directly to the College, answer any related questions, and help you better understand the draft bylaws and what they mean for you. 

Specifically, Doctors of BC will:

  • Review and synthesize the draft bylaws, providing you with a summary of the changes and potential areas of concern.
  • Provide ongoing communication about the opportunity to respond directly to the College on the draft bylaws as well as contribute to Doctors of BC’s collective response.
  • Develop educational resources to explain the draft bylaws, answer questions, and seek your input to inform the collective response.
  • Offer online engagement and targeted engagement with physician groups to develop the collective physician response to the draft bylaws.
  • Keep you informed by sharing the collective response Doctors of BC submits to the College and provide updates on developments arising from the response, along with any future opportunities to engage on the bylaws.

Doctors of BC will keep this page updated with opportunities to share your input on the collective response. If you have any questions, please contact policystrategyandlegal@doctorsofbc.ca.

Advocacy and member support

Most of the Act is not yet in force, and Doctors of BC continues to advocate for a pause to allow time to properly engage on the legislation and address concerns expressed by members. 

The HPOA aims to modernize regulations and includes important improvements to enhance cultural safety and humility, which have been positively received by doctors. However, there are concerns regarding several aspects of the complex legislative framework, such as the shift to government-appointed boards, changes to the investigation and disciplinary processes, and alterations to appeal rights. 

Since we were first made aware of the changes to professional regulation, Doctors of BC has advocated on behalf of BC’s physicians: 

  • We shared our concerns and our position on the Act with members via a President’s Letter (login required). 
  • In 2023, to support members’ understanding of the changes and the impact on physicians, we held a Town Hall webinar in which Government staff outlined the reasons for the Health Professions and Occupations Act and explained what it means for doctors; this was followed by a discussion with Doctors of BC leaders on the next steps to effectively advocate on behalf of the profession. 
  • We have actively voiced our concerns about the process and lack of physician engagement and input in the media, stating the “process matters as much as the outcome, and many physicians have been blindsided by a process they weren’t fully informed about."

Legislative history

  • April 2019: The Cayton Report
    is publicly released. The Report was an inquiry into performance of the College of Dental Surgeons, with Part 2 being recommendations on broader health profession regulation modernization.
  • May 2019: The Province undertakes direct engagement and releases an Engagement Summary.
  • Nov 2019: The Province releases a formal Consultation Paper.
    on modernizing health profession regulation.
  • Aug 2020: The Province releases its What We Heard.
    consultation summary and its Steering Committee Recommendations.
    report.
  • Oct 2022: Bill 36 is introduced for first reading in the Legislature.
  • Nov 2022: Bill 36 receives third reading.
    and Royal Assent. The Health Professions and Occupations Act is enacted but not in force.
  • 2023: Parts of the Act necessary to stand up the Superintendents Office and amalgamate some health regulatory colleges come into force.
  • June 2024: The amalgamation of 11 health-professional colleges into two: The College of Health and Care Professionals of BC and the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC.

Next steps

The Health Professions Act remains the primary legislation governing the practice of all health professions in all colleges, including doctors, and will remain in effect until it is repealed when the Health Professions and Occupations Act is fully in force (estimated 2025).

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