On November 24, 2022, Bill 36 – the Health Professions and Occupations Act was passed into law, replacing the existing Health Professions Act and bringing significant change to the province’s oversight and regulation of health professionals.
Bill 36 was borne out of the 2018 Cayton Report (an independent inquiry by UK regulatory expert Harry Cayton, commissioned by BC’s Minister of Health) which found that the existing Health Professions Act of 1979 was “no longer adequate for modern regulation” and recommended “greater transparency and accountability”.
The BCCFP supports a modernization of the laws regulating health care professionals and efforts to enhance transparency. However, we are concerned about the lack of opportunity for meaningful consultation with physicians and other health care professionals, as well as the speed with which the bill was passed.
A bill with over 600 clauses that is passed without adequate opportunity for analysis and debate significantly increases the potential for unintended consequences.
The BCCFP is supportive of calls for additional due process surrounding Bill 36. We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments through our lens of prioritizing support and advocacy for family physicians, quality of care and patient safety in BC.