Alberta passes Bill 41 despite doctors' pleas

In an all-night session last week, the Alberta legislature passed Bill 41, the dreaded legislation that empowers the Alberta government to take over some of the responsibilities of self-regulating professions' governing bodies in an emergency.

Physicians, nurses and pharmacists all opposed Bill 41 vehemently, as did both opposition parties. And although their protestations failed to kill the legislation, several amendments were passed to water down some of the powers granted to the government by the bill. They managed to eliminate the government's power to change professional bodies' codes of ethics, and they gained a stipulation that the Minister of Health must "consult" with the body before taking over its powers.

The Minister of Health, Dave Hancock, discussed the amendments with the Edmonton Journal the day before the legislation was voted on.

The text of the bill is available on the Alberta Legislative Assembly's website, as are the three amendments.

You can read about the events leading up to last week's decision to pass the bill by checking out the articles we've published on the subject over the past couple of months: "Alberta bill takes aim at MD self-regulation," and "Alberta pols take up doctors' cause against Bill 41."

Check out our website: www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com