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Part of Search public engagements

Regulated professions engagement

Regulated professionals, regulatory bodies and other interested groups will be able to share input to ensure standards of competence and ethics are maintained without infringing on individual rights and freedoms.

Overview

We will gather input from regulated professionals, regulatory bodies and other interested groups to support a review of regulated professions that looks at whether professional bodies are acting within their authority, and whether these bodies are limiting the scope of regulation to professional competence and ethics.

We have heard from a wide variety of regulated professionals that regulatory bodies in Alberta may be going too far in limiting individual freedom of expression and imposing compulsory training not related to professional competence.

Albertans must be confident in the expertise and ethics of regulated professionals. These professionals must also be free to express their personal opinions and beliefs when not practicing or representing their profession.

Status

  • Open

  • Results under review

  • Completed

Who is listening

Ministry of Justice and 10 other government ministries.

Get informed

Regulatory bodies protect the public interest by setting standards of competence and conduct for their members and disciplining those who fail to meet them.

There are 189 regulated professions and designated trades across 12 ministries in Alberta. As part of this review, government is looking at 118 regulated professions and designated trades across 11 government ministries.

Each ministry did an inventory of the regulated professions under their mandates and determined which should be included in the review. Professions may be excluded from the review if:

  • they are not self-regulating
  • regulation for the profession is not yet in force
  • there is no regulatory body or means to handle public complaints or disciplinary action against any member
  • there is little or no regulatory role beyond certification

Stakeholder engagement

We will contact select professional regulatory bodies, regulated professions and other interested groups to get input on how potential changes would impact their role and what would need to be considered in introducing such changes.

Each ministry has determined the most appropriate approach for gathering input from the regulated professions under their mandates. Some professionals are regulated directly by a ministry, so there is no external regulatory body to contact. In these cases, ministries may engage directly with regulated professionals or other interested organizations, or they may only need to do an internal review.

  • Advanced Education

    Advanced Education will:

    • send identified professional regulatory bodies a questionnaire to provide written responses
    • meetings will be scheduled with regulatory bodies  to provide information and seek clarity on written responses.

  • Education

    Education regulates teachers and teacher leaders and will invite key education partners to engage through meetings and through written feedback.

  • Environment and Protected Areas

    Environment and Protected Areas oversees certifications for drinking water well drillers, drinking water and wastewater operators and pesticide applicators.  The department does not anticipate any required changes and is not anticipating requiring engagement.

  • Forestry and Parks

    Forestry and Parks will meet with professional regulatory bodies under their mandate and invite organizations to complete a survey and provide written responses.

  • Health

    Health will invite professional regulatory bodies and professional associations to complete a survey.

  • Jobs, Economy and Trade

    Jobs, Economy and Trade (JET) certifies and oversees the compliance of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) as they work in licensed child care programs. There is no governing professional body for this sector; however, JET will continue to meet collaboratively with key partners who represent the early learning and child care workforce, specific to ECEs, both in facility-based and home-based child care.

  • Justice

    Justice will contact the Law Society of Alberta and several legal organizations and academics and invite them to provide written responses.

    In-person meetings will be held with the Law Society of Alberta and other key legal organizations.

    Individual lawyers will have an opportunity to complete a survey.

  • Municipal Affairs

    Municipal Affairs will contact impacted regulatory bodies to make them aware of the review and request input through a questionnaire. Ministry staff will be available to meet if there are any questions or concerns impacted regulatory bodies wish to discuss.

  • Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction

    Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction will send identified professional regulatory bodies and affiliated industry associations a questionnaire to provide written responses. In addition, the ministry will meet with respondents as needed to provide information and seek clarity on written responses.

    There are four professions which Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction directly oversees through licensing (cemetery pre-need salesperson, collector, debt repayment agent, and home inspector). While a department review of these professions was completed, no further engagement is anticipated at this time.

  • Transportation and Economic Corridors

    Transportation and Economic Corridors will invite individuals licensed as driver examiners, driving instructors and vehicle inspection technicians to participate in an online survey.

  • Treasury Board and Finance

    Treasury Board and Finance will hold meetings with the professional regulatory bodies under their mandate.

Outcomes

Ministries will gather responses in the coming months. Feedback may help inform potential legislative changes to clarify that professional regulatory bodies are limited to regulating members’ professional competence and behaviour.

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