How HPOA’s new powers could threaten trust, privacy, and access to psychological care in British Columbia
To bring attention to The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA, Bill 36) to have it repealed. A complete repeal of the HPOA does not mean a return to the past; it means clearing the ground to build a truly independent, fair, and proportionate regulatory framework that we believe may have been intended. The intention does not necessarily reflect the outcome. The HPOA is too structurally compromised by government overreach to be salvaged by minor amendments. It must be repealed so that British Columbia can build a system that is genuinely independent of both professional self-interest and political interference.
The psychologists in this coalition support strong public protections, accountability, and modern healthcare regulation. This is not about protecting professional privilege or preserving an outdated system. We agree that healthcare regulation must serve the public interest first.
Our concern is that the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) goes too far in the opposite direction — replacing independent regulation with concentrated political control over healthcare governance.
For many psychologists, mental health professionals, and members of the public, this raises serious concerns about the future independence of healthcare decision-making in British Columbia.
The HPOA gives the provincial government extensive authority over healthcare regulatory bodies, including the power to appoint all board members and direct key oversight functions.
Critics argue that this removes the independence that healthcare regulation requires in order to protect patients fairly and objectively.
Independent regulation exists for a reason: healthcare decisions should be guided by clinical evidence, ethics, professional standards, and patient wellbeing — not political priorities, ideology, or shifting government agendas.
When regulatory systems become politically controlled, the public may lose confidence that healthcare decisions are being made solely in the best interests of patients.
Healthcare regulators are responsible for setting standards of practice, investigating complaints, overseeing discipline, and ensuring safe and ethical care.
Traditionally, these systems have operated independently from direct political control in order to maintain public trust and professional accountability.
Many psychologists are concerned that under the HPOA:
For mental health care in particular, independence is critical. Psychological care often involves complex, sensitive, and evolving clinical practices that must remain grounded in science, ethics, and individualized patient care.
Calls to repeal the HPOA are not calls to restore the previous system unchanged.
Most professionals involved in this coalition agree that healthcare regulation in BC needed modernization and stronger public accountability. The concern is that the HPOA replaced one problem with another — creating a structure that concentrates too much power within government.
The goal is not to defend the status quo.
The goal is to create a new regulatory framework that is:
Many believe this cannot be achieved through minor amendments alone because the current structure of the HPOA is fundamentally compromised by excessive government control.
Any healthcare legislation should ultimately be measured by one standard: does it genuinely protect the public?
Psychologists within this coalition believe that if a regulatory system allows healthcare delivery and professional oversight to become subject to political direction, then public protection is weakened rather than strengthened.
British Columbians deserve a healthcare regulatory system that is modern, ethical, evidence-based, and independent — one that protects patients without placing healthcare governance under direct political influence.
The conversation about healthcare regulation should not be framed as “old system versus new system.” It should focus on building the best possible system for the future of public care in British Columbia.
A detailed summary of concerns is available for download below.
The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), Bill 36 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.
Concerns & Impacts on Patients, Clients, Public & Health System
Across other medical professionals
While the concerns apply universally across other professions such as doctors, nurses, chiropractors, naturopaths, dentists and all regulated healthcare professionals, impacts to practitioners and their patients may vary depending on the nature of care:
Bottom Line
The HPOA represents a shift toward a more centralized and enforcement-oriented regulatory model, with broad implications for professional autonomy, confidentiality, and system capacity.
Across professions, the key concern is the cumulative effect of expanded regulatory reach, government-controlled governance structures, and less precisely defined behavioural standards, which together may influence clinical practice environments, workforce stability, and patient care dynamics.
Psychologists of BC for Ethical Care and 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.
If you want what is best for the public, start by listening to the people caring for them For reference, watch this exchange streamed live
B.C.’s new health care law is now in force — but the concerns surrounding it are not going away. As British Columbia’s Health Professions and
Globe & Mail
March 28, 2026
Thoughtful legislative refinement will help ensure accountability, clarity, and fairness – while safeguarding access to high-quality psychological care for the people of British Columbia.
We've started a petition to help support the second reading of the repeal Bills in the legislature scheduled for October 2026. Please visit the petition page, sign and share.
