Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Its Committees

For the College to command the confidence of the government, the public and the profession, it is necessary that Council, as the profession’s governing body, adopt appropriate standards of conduct for members of Council and its Committees in order to ensure that they properly perform their duties with integrity and in a manner that promotes the highest standard of public trust.

Each member of Council and its Committees is therefore required to comply with the following Code of Conduct (Code) understanding that a breach of the Code could result in the Council member being removed from Council or the Committee member being removed from all Committees, in accordance with the By-laws of the College.

The Code

  1. Council and Committee members shall be familiar with and comply with the provisions of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), its Health Professions Procedural Code and its regulations, the Chiropody Act, 1991 and its regulations, and the by-laws and policies of the College.
  2. Council and Committee members, when acting in that capacity, shall act in a diligent manner, including preparing for meetings/hearings, attending meetings/hearings on time, and actively participating.
  3. Council and Committee members, when acting in that capacity, shall participate in all deliberations and communications in a respectful, courteous and professional manner, recognizing the diverse background, skills and experience of members on Council.
  4. Council and Committee members, when acting in that capacity, shall conduct themselves in a manner that respects the integrity of the College by striving to be fair, impartial and unbiased in their decision making.
  5. Council and Committee members shall place the interests of the College and Council above their personal interests.
  6. Council and Committee members shall avoid any appearance of or actual conflict of interest or bias.
  7. Council and Committee members shall uphold the decisions made by Council and its Committees, regardless of the level of prior individual disagreement. Where a member of Council or its Committees feels compelled to publicly oppose or speak against a policy adopted by Council, or a decision made by a Committee, the member should first resign from Council and/or its Committees.
  8. Council and Committee members shall refrain from engaging in any discussion in relation to the business of Council and/or Committees with other Council or Committee members that takes place outside the formal Council/Committee decision making process.
  9. Council and Committee members shall refrain from communicating with Committee members on Statutory Committees in circumstances where this could be perceived as an attempt to influence a member or members of a Statutory Committee, unless he or she is a member of the panel or, where there is no panel, of the Statutory Committee dealing with the matter. This would include, but not be limited to, matters involving the Registration of applicants and matters involving members involved with the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee, the Quality Assurance Committee, the Disciplinary Committee or the Fitness to Practise Committee.
  10. Council and Committee members shall respect the confidentiality of information identified as confidential and acquired solely by virtue of their Council/Committee member position.
  11. Council and Committee members shall ensure that confidential information is not disclosed except as required for the performance of their duties, or as directed by Council or the Executive Committee acting on behalf of Council.
  12. Council and Committee members shall not use their positions as members of Council or any Committee to obtain or attempt to obtain employment at the College or preferential treatment for themselves, family members, friends or associates.
  13. Council and Committee members shall not include or reference Council or Committee titles or positions held at the College in any business promotional materials, advertisement or business cards.
  14. Council and Committee members shall respect the boundaries of staff recognizing that a staff member’s role is not to report to or work for individual Council or Committee members. Council and Committee members will, therefore, not directly contact staff members, other than the Registrar, except on matters where the staff member has been assigned to provide administrative support to that Committee, without the prior approval of the Registrar or the Executive Committee.
  15. Council and Committee members shall be respectful of each other and staff and not engage in conduct or behaviour towards fellow Council or Committee members or staff that might reasonably be perceived as verbal, physical or sexual abuse or harassment.
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