Should Professional Regulatory Bodies Limit Members' Freedom of Expression?
Official title: Regulated professions engagement
Why This Matters
Are you a nurse, engineer, teacher, or other regulated professional in Alberta? This affects what your regulatory body can tell you to do—and say. Some professionals feel their personal opinions are being policed even outside work hours. This review could change those rules.
What Could Change
New legislation may explicitly limit regulatory bodies to overseeing professional competence and ethics only. That means they couldn't discipline members for personal opinions expressed outside of work. Mandatory training requirements unrelated to job skills could also be restricted.
Key Issues
- Are regulatory bodies overstepping by limiting members' freedom of expression?
- Should mandatory training be limited to professional competence only?
- How should the line between professional conduct and personal beliefs be drawn?
What Happened
The government heard from regulated professionals that some regulatory bodies may be going too far in limiting individual freedom of expression and imposing compulsory training not related to professional competence. Responses will help inform potential legislative changes to clarify that professional regulatory bodies are limited to regulating members' professional competence and behaviour.