College Connection | Summer 2026
The value of public members in veterinary regulation
Have you visited the Ethics Resource Hub?
College Connection | Summer 2026
The value of public members in veterinary regulation
The College currently has five members of the public on both Legacy and Transition Councils. These individuals have been appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, with the recommendation of the Premier or a Cabinet Minister. Public members of Council serve a three-year term, which can be renewed once. They have an important role in regulating the practice of veterinary medicine in the public interest.
Public members of Council have the same responsibility as professional members: support good governance, promote accountability, and advance public protection. Public members have an equal voice in all decisionmaking at Council and Committees.
Public members provide unique experiences and insights that help ensure the public interest is front and centre in Council’ s decision-making.
Their experience outside of veterinary medicine often includes law, finance, policy, governance, and agriculture. Many also own animals. They strengthen public confidence in the regulation of veterinary medicine by broadening the perspective of Council.
Across Canada and internationally, there is a noteworthy increase in recognizing meaningful public participation as a requirement for effective regulation. Public members
are increasingly included on regulatory Councils or Boards, with many professions or jurisdictions seeing equal representation of public members and professional members.
One of the greatest strengths of public members is perspective. Their contribution is often strongest when they combine curiosity, preparation, and confidence to speak candidly, especially when a discussion becomes overly technical or inward-looking.
Where professional members understandably draw on experience working in veterinary medicine, public members contribute from their own professional experiences and add the insight of a client or community member. They are relied on to consider questions such as: How will this direction be understood by the public? Is the reasoning clearly explained? Council’ s discussion is sharpened by this perspective and is more balanced, transparent, and credible.
Ultimately, the role of public members on Council is both practical and principled. They improve the quality of discussion and contribute to considerations for how decisions will impact the public. They also reinforce the legitimacy of the regulation of veterinary medicine by demonstrating that governance is not closed or selfserving. Public voices contribute to a greater openness and connection with the population that Council is serving to protect.
Have you visited the Ethics Resource Hub?
The public trusts veterinarians to make sound, ethical decisions. Moral conflicts arise in daily practice- whether it is related to euthanasia, animal use or abuse, quality of life, conflicts of interest, informed consent, or colleagues in distress.
Even in the most challenging ethical issue, a veterinarian must decide on the course of action that will best address the situation. It is not always straightforward, but it is necessary.
The Ethics Resource Hub provides resources to assist you in building skills in ethical decision-making. Resources to support decision-making are found in the following areas:
• Case scenarios guiding a step-bystep review of ethical issues
• Recordings of panel discussions focused on resolving various dilemmas
• Tools & frameworks to support ethical decision-making
• Library of insightful references
Learning module
A learning module is available to assist you in understanding professional ethics, and reviewing core values and ethical principles in the Code of Ethics. The module includes direction on applying an ethical decisionmaking model to determine the most appropriate action.
cvo. org / hub
Public confidence in veterinary regulation cvo. org 4