Regulatory colleges are legal entities in Canada charged with serving the
public interest by regulating the practice of a
profession
A profession is a field of Work (human activity), work that has been successfully professionalized. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, professionals, who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are ...
. They are state-sanctioned
to regulate the practice of their professions within Canada.
Most regulatory colleges are established by an
act of parliament instead of through
articles of association or incorporation, and usually do not require registration in order to acquire
juridical personality. The legislation that creates a regulatory college is usually provincial rather than federal, since the Canadian constitution makes the regulation of most professional activity a provincial rather than federal area of responsibility. They are legislated as requirements to work in a given field. For example, no worker in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
may work in a
skilled trade classified as a "compulsory trade" without membership in the
Ontario College of Trades.
The specific individual regulatory colleges are granted specific powers and responsibilities by provincial
acts of parliament. They are charged with protecting the public by investigating incidents of misconduct by members (also referred to as registrants or licensees), and expelling or charging members who engage in misconduct.
Misconduct may involve willful malicious acts, but may also include not working to the standard of competence set by the college, or not following an established
code of ethics, or infringing upon one of the bylaws maintained by the college.
In addition to investigating misconduct, regulatory colleges have a duty to maintain a public register of members.
References
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