True to the legacy of its founders, the FQM’s vision has always been the professionalization and recognition of massage therapy in Quebec. Professionalization requires that massage therapy be recognized as a therapeutic activity within the health sector. Relaxation is a starting point, a step in the evolution of the profession, but not an end in itself. We therefore firmly believe in the creation of a professional order. We consider massage therapists to be key players in the healthcare field, and most healthcare professions are governed by a professional order. We therefore believe that the massage therapy community should have such a regulatory body. That’s why, in 2012, we submitted a brief to this effect to the Ministère de la Justice and the Office des professions du Québec (OPQ). In 2015, Ms. Vallée, Minister of Justice, asked the Office des professions to produce an official opinion on the issue of regulating massage therapy in Quebec.
Discover all the information you need to fully understand the issues surrounding the creation of a professional order in massage therapy.
What is a professional order? A professional order is responsible for protecting the public. Its main role is to ensure, in its own field, that professionals offer services that meet the profession’s standards of quality and integrity. To fulfill the important mandate entrusted to it by law, each professional order possesses a number of powers that constitute guarantees for the protection of the public and ensure the professional quality of the services offered.
For the general public Did you know that in Quebec today, anyone can practice massage therapy without any training? The creation of a professional order will ensure that all massage therapists have the knowledge and skills they need to effectively assess their clients and provide care adapted to their state of health, at all stages of their lives.
A reserved title: a guarantee of quality
At present, anyone with little or no training can call themselves a massage therapist and practice legally. With the advent of a professional order, the title of “massage therapist” can be reserved only for those registered with the order. These people will be clearly identified to the public and health professionals as qualified practitioners who meet the competency standards of the MELS (Ministère de l’Éducation, des Loisirs et du Sport). In addition to ensuring the quality of care offered to the public, the creation of a reserved title addresses a number of issues that will have medium- and long-term repercussions for massage therapists.
To find out more about the FQM’s project to create a professional order, visit the «On veut de l’ordre» website.
