Our mission, values and activities

Our Mission

The Collège is the professional order of physicians in Québec. To fulfill its mission of protecting the public by ensuring quality medical care, it ensures that professional and ethical standards of medical practice are respected, while supporting practicing and future physicians in their professional careers. Here are the six main activities that support our mission.

1. Admission to the medical profession
   The Collège ensures the quality of medical and postdoctoral training and that all future physicians possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to practise medicine. It also issues permits and authorizations to practice.
2. Supervision of professional practice
   Through professional inspections, the Collège monitors the quality of physicians’ proficiency and medical practice, while ensuring that its members maintain and develop their skills.
3. Compliance with the Code of Ethics
   Through the Syndic’s Office, the Collège ensures compliance with ethical standards, laws, and regulations. It receives and processes inquiry requests from the public.
4. Monitoring the illegal exercise of medical activities
   Only physicians who are registered on the Roll of the Order can practise medicine. The Collège can investigate and take legal action whenever it suspects that a person who is not a healthcare professional claims that they can provide healthcare.
5. Professional development and continuing education
   The Collège develops and hosts various types of professional development and remediation activities for physicians in a context of professional skills upgrade, career transition, or return to practice.
6. Regulatory framework
   The Collège defines and controls the standards for medical practice, which include ethics, record-keeping, prescription writing, and the maintenance of proficiency.

Essentially, the Collège des médecins du Québec:

• monitors and evaluates medical practice in Quebec;
• suggests recommendations to improve medical practice in Quebec;
• receives and processes complaints from the public;
• ensures and promotes the maintenance of physicians’ proficiency;
• assesses future physicians’ proficiency and their ability to practise medicine;
• issues permits and authorizations to practice to physicians;
• monitors the illegal practice of medicine;
• collaborates with other professional orders in order to maximize deployment of the health and social services offered to the Quebec population;
• develops practice guidelines and documents;
• takes a stand on various health-related issues, including in the media.

Our Values

The Collège follows five values that guide its actions and interventions.

1. Commitment. An Order that places public protection at the very heart of its actions and that uses physicians’ expertise for the common good;
2. Rigour. An Order worthy of the public’s and the physicians’ trust thanks to its professionalism, proficiency, and objectivity;
3. Collaboration. An Order that is strong and supportive of physicians and staff. With its stakeholders, the Collège maintains an inclusive and constructive dialogue to foster excellence in healthcare;
4. Integrity. An Order that makes fair, equitable, and thorough decisions;
5. Respect. An Order that is human and listens to the public, to physicians, to its staff, and to its partners.

Services and Remedies for the Public

Learn more about CMQ services:

• Find a physician’s contact details
• Obtain a clinical record
• Request an inquiry regarding a breach of ethics
• Report a case of illegal medical practice  (in French only)
• Have a physician’s signature authenticated
• Obtain information on disciplinary matters
• Contest charged medical fees

Our Commitments

The Collège offers its services in accordance with the following principles:

• Putting public protection at the very heart of our actions;
• Seeing patients as partners in their own provision of care;
• Listening and acting with respect and courtesy;
• Welcoming requests with a kind and open mind;
• Supporting anyone in their endeavours with the CMQ;
• Applying best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion.

All members of the CMQ staff are subject to the Code d’éthique et de conduite des employés du Collège des médecins du Québec (Code of Ethics and Conduct for Employees of the Collège des médecins du Québec; in French only).

Access to Information and Protection of Personal Information

Learn more about the protection of personal information and the procedure to request access to a clinical document or record held by the CMQ.

• File a request to access information
• Learn more about the protection of personal information

Our Team and Vision

The CMQ makes decisions and takes action to develop closer relations with the public and ensure quality healthcare.

To carry out its functions, the CMQ relies on a Board of Directors and a Requests Committee. It also has standing committees and nine divisions:

1. Legal Affairs Division (LAD);
2. Communications and Public Affairs Division (CPAD);
3. Professional Development and Remediation Division (PDRD);
4. Inquiries Division;
5. Medical Education and Registration Division (MERD);
6. Finances and Information Technology Division;
7. Executive Management;
8. Professional Inspection Division (PID); and
9. Human Resources Divsion.

Executive Management coordinates the activities of all divisions and implements the decisions and guidance of the Board of Directors and the Requests Committee.

Members of the committees and Board of Directors must be committed to comply with and promote the standards of ethics and professional conduct set out in the Code d’éthique et de déontologie des administrateurs et membres de comités (Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Directors and Committee Members; in French only).

Declaration of Services to the Public

See also the Collège’s Déclaration de services au public (Declaration of Services to the Public; in French only), which states its commitments to the public, candidates of the medical profession, and members of the CMQ.