The disciplinary council is a body responsible for receiving complaints filed against chiropractors suspected of having committed an offence against the Professional Code, the Code of ethics of chiropractors, the Chiropractic Act or any other regulation governing the profession.

When the disciplinary council finds a chiropractor guilty of an offence, it is responsible for imposing a penalty.

The council can impose one or more of the penalties specified in the Professional Code (s. 156):

• reprimand
• temporary or permanent striking off the roll, even if the chiropractor has not been entered on the roll since the date of the offence
• a fine of $2,500 to $62,500 for each offence
• the obligation to remit to any person entitled to it a sum of money the professional is or should be holding for that person
• the obligation to transmit a document or the information contained in any document, and the obligation to complete, delete, update or rectify any document or information
• revocation of his or her permit
• restriction or suspension of his or her right to engage in professional activities

Disciplinary council hearings are public, unless the council orders a closed hearing. The disciplinary hearing schedule reveals the identity of the chiropractor involved, the nature of the complaint and the place and time of the hearings.

The disciplinary council may, of its own initiative or upon request, order that a hearing be held in camera or ban access to or the publication or release of any information or document, in the interest of public order, in particular to preserve professional secrecy or to protect a person’s privacy or reputation (Professional Code, s. 142).

Prior to the initial hearing of a disciplinary file, the OCQ cannot grant access to documents pertaining to the file and, consequently, the complaint being lodged.

However, when the hearing roll is public, the following information can be provided:

• name of the professional involved (chiropractor)
• nature of the complaint
• location of the offence
• date of the disciplinary hearing

All disciplinary council decisions are published on the Société québécoise d’information juridique (SOQUIJ) or the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) website.

Consult the decisions rendered by the disciplinary council since June 2001