How HPOA’s new powers threaten trust, privacy, and access to psychological care in British Columbia.
To bring attention to The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA, Bill 36) so it can be repealed or amended. It makes major changes to how psychologists are regulated in BC and raises serious concerns about ethics, standards of care, and risks to people seeking mental health services.
We support strong public protection and high standards of care. We advocate for ethical regulation that protects client confidentiality, ensures fair governance, and sustains a strong and accessible mental health system for British Columbians.
The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), Bill 36 (2022) makes major changes to how psychologists in British Columbia are governed, investigated, and regulated. Many psychologists support strong public protection, but they are concerned that some parts of the Act shift too much authority away from professional expertise and reduce important safeguards that previously protected both clients and practitioners.
Key concerns focus on privacy and confidentiality, as the Act allows broader access to client records without their consent. Clients may not seek out the services of a psychologist at all, if they are aware that a Quality Assessor can read their files at any time.
Other concerns include loss of profession-led governance and expanded investigative and disciplinary powers, government-appointed regulatory boards without guaranteed psychology representation, and the ability to suspend or discipline practitioners before hearings are completed. Psychologists worry that these changes can reduce trust in therapy, discourage clinicians from taking complex cases, and affect access to care.
The Act also creates new compelled requirements, including mandatory reporting obligations, potential licensing conditions set through regulation, and expanded powers for future regulatory changes without full legislative debate. Psychologists are concerned that these structural changes can influence how care is delivered, how professionals practice, and how safe clients feel seeking psychological treatment. With regulatory control in the hands of government, psychological care shifts from an ethical framework to a punitive, legalistic model that forces defensive practice instead of care.
A further concern is the effect these changes may have on the future of the profession. Psychologists facing greater regulatory pressure and uncertainty may choose to retire sooner, limit their scope of practice, or move to jurisdictions with more stable and competent regulatory environments. At the same time, prospective psychologists and trainees may reconsider practicing in B.C. if they perceive higher risk, reduced autonomy, and less professional voice in governance. Together, these impacts could worsen existing shortages in mental health services and make it harder for people in BC to access timely psychological care.
Protect Mental Health Care. Expert psychological care is essential for therapy and assessment. Suicide is the second cause of death for ages 10–24, and psychologists are highly trained to support youth and others in severe distress. Psychologists also provide critical assessments for brain injury, learning disabilities, autism, and child custody; without these, people can be denied compensation and children may go untreated or remain in unsafe situations.
02 April 2026 - Psychologists for Ethical Care and Governance
As British Columbia’s Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) is now in effect, recent reporting in The Globe and Mail should give both government and the public pause.
In an article by The Globe and Mail, “B.C.’s move away from self-regulation for health professionals was overdue, expert says”, Harry Cayton — the expert whose 2018 report helped shape B.C.’s move away from self-regulation — supports some aspects of the shift, including stronger public accountability. But he also raises issues that many psychologists and other health professionals have been voicing for some time...
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Thoughtful legislative refinement will help ensure accountability, clarity, and fairness – while safeguarding access to high-quality psychological care for the people of British Columbia.
Psychologists of BC for Ethical Care & Governance call for greater awareness and education about the impact and concerns with the HPOA. We need policy makers who are willing to engage in constructive dialogue and help champion thoughtful reforms, stronger privacy protections, and meaningful psychology representation, such as creating a College of Mental Health Care Providers. We want to ensure competent, sustainable mental health care in British Columbia.
