With its principal mission the protection of the public, the professional system is supported by the requirements and values of Québec society, expressed by fundamental rights inscribed in particular in the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
These rights may be summarized as follows:
- The right to physical and psychological integrity
- The right to respect for professional secrecy and privacy
- The right to respect for the integrity of personal property
The Québec professional system consists of 46 professional orders that supervise the practice of 54 regulated professions.
A total of more than 370,000 people (1 out of every 12 Quebecers) holds a professional title. The Professional Code applies the expertise of professionals in their field of practice to supervise the practice of members. The powers of the orders are those of admission to professional practice, the supervision and investigation of such practice and the sanction of violations of laws and regulations.
Funding of the professional system
The Government does not pay any subsidy to professional orders. They finance their operations solely through the dues paid by their members. Moreover, each professional order must pay a portion of these dues to the Québec Interprofessional Council as all members, when paying their annual dues, pay a specific amount to their professional order that is then sent to the Office des professions du Québec.
What are your dues used for?
Given that the principal mandate of a professional order is protection of the public, most of its budge is devoted to funding statutory activities.
These activities, which are imposed by the Professional Code and are thus obligatory, include, among others:
- The Office of the Syndic;
- Professional inspection;
- discipline;
- review;
In 2013-2014, about 80% of the annual budget of the OTSTCFQ was devoted to funding activities of this type. This represented about $4.8 million out of a total budget of $6 million
We invite you to consult Annual report pto obtain more details.