Sexual abuse initiative
Factors include careful
consideration of the powers
available at that particular
stage of the proceeding, the
facts of the matter, the history
of the matter and the history of
the physician.
Supporting patients:
New protocol for
initiating police contact
A recently approved internal policy sets out the
circumstances in which the College may exercise its
discretion to share information with the police about
physicians who may have committed a criminal act.
Under the new policy, in certain circumstances, the
College will proactively advise the police of suspected
criminal behaviour even without the patient’s consent.
facts of the matter, the history of the matter
and the history of the physician.
GBRs have been the subject of particular
scrutiny recently. Some have criticized the
College for failing to remove a physician from
practice when the physician is facing allegations
of misconduct, even where there has been no
finding. Others have criticized gender-based
restrictions because of the perception that they
are not sufficiently punitive – the physician
maintains his or her privilege to be a member
of the profession and can continue to earn a
living through the publicly funded health-care
system.
Others argue that GBRs do not sufficiently
mitigate the risk of harm to patients for a
variety of reasons, including that patients of the
other gender will