DE QUELQUES SPÉCIFICITÉS DU CODE DES PROFESSIONS DU QUÉBEC ET DE LA DISCIPLINE DES PROFESSIONNELS MEMBRES DES ORDRES

Abstract

In contrast to common law, the Quebec legislator harmonizes the rules of law by subjecting all professionals to the Professional Code. Countless regulations stem from this framework law, including codes of ethics that hold a privileged status within the professional legal system. The ethical regulatory framework that guides the autonomy of over 420,000 Quebec professionals primarily aims to protect the public. It distinguishes itself in some respects from the ethical standards governing professionals in other provinces through its civil law codification, the regulatory power of its codes of ethics, and its application principles borrowed from administrative, civil, and criminal law. Supervising compliance with these rules is the responsibility of the agents of each order. Data shows that they play a central role in maintaining ethical standards in the three main professional sectors governed by the Professional Code: Law, Administration, and Business; Engineering, Development, and Sciences; and Health and Human Relations.