Code of ethics

PREAMBLE

This Code of Ethics establishes the strict and mandatory rules of conduct applicable exclusively to members affiliated with the CPMDQ, including, but not limited to, naturopaths, massage therapists, osteopaths, kinesiotherapists, orthotherapists, kinesiologists, as well as any other natural medicine practice or complementary approach recognized by the CPMDQ.

This Code constitutes an update, an amendment, and a continuation of the Code of Ethics originally adopted by the CPMDQ in 1994. It preserves its spirit, foundations, and principles, while adapting them to the current realities of professional practice, governance, and administrative obligations.

Membership in the CPMDQ implies full and unconditional acceptance of this Code.

By the solemn oath taken at the time of membership, and by express reference to the articles of this Code of Ethics for CPMDQ members, no member may exempt themselves from the obligations, prohibitions, and responsibilities set forth herein, nor invoke ignorance, personal interpretation, or any other justification to avoid compliance.

ARTICLE 1 – INTEGRITY, HONESTY, AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

1.1 Members must conduct their activities with integrity, honesty, loyalty, and good faith.

1.2 Any false declaration, intentional omission, misleading representation, or improper use of a title, license number, or CPMDQ status is prohibited.

1.3 Members are personally and exclusively responsible for all acts, documents, communications, and receipts issued under their name and membership number.

ARTICLE 2 – PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND NON-DELEGATION

2.1 Members remain fully responsible for the issuance of receipts, the use of their license number, and any representation of professional services carried out under their name, even when administrative tasks are performed with the assistance of a third party.

2.2 The member’s responsibility remains full and complete for any act, document, or receipt issued under their professional identity, regardless of the involvement of any third party.

ARTICLE 3 – COMPETENCE AND SCOPE OF PRACTICE

3.1 Members must practice exclusively within the limits of their training, recognized competencies, and the modalities for which they are accredited by the CPMDQ.

3.2 It is prohibited to represent as a personal service any intervention that was not actually performed by the member themselves.

ARTICLE 4 – ISSUANCE OF RECEIPTS

4.1 Members acknowledge that the issuance of receipts, including those used for insurance purposes, constitutes an act engaging their personal responsibility.

4.2 Members are required to familiarize themselves with, understand, and comply at all times with the rules, policies, and requirements applicable to the issuance of receipts, as adopted by the CPMDQ in the context of membership.

4.3 It is the exclusive responsibility of the member to ensure that they are adequately informed of applicable policies before issuing any receipt or carrying out any administrative or professional act related to their membership status.

4.4 Members are solely responsible for the compliance, accuracy, use, and consequences of the receipts they issue, including with respect to third parties.

4.5 Members may not invoke ignorance, failure to consult policies, personal interpretation, or a client’s request to justify a breach of applicable rules, policies, or obligations.

4.6 Any failure to comply with the rules, policies, or requirements applicable to the issuance of receipts may result in administrative or disciplinary measures, based on the established facts and the analysis conducted by the CPMDQ.

4.7 – Access to Member Account
Access to the CPMDQ member account is personal and confidential.
The member is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of his or her login credentials.
The member remains fully responsible for all documents, receipts, communications and activities generated under his or her account.

ARTICLE 5 – INSURANCE RECEIPTS

Members must exercise rigor and sound judgment in the issuance of any receipt and ensure that it accurately reflects a professional service actually rendered.

The issuance of receipts for purposes other than the acknowledgment of a service effectively provided constitutes a breach of the member’s ethical obligations.

ARTICLE 6 – PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENCE

6.1 Members must preserve their professional independence at all times and avoid any situation likely to compromise their objectivity, judgment, or the public’s trust.

ARTICLE 7 – PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND ETHICAL BOUNDARIES

7.1 Members must maintain a strictly professional relationship with their clients at all times.

7.2 It is formally prohibited to engage in or attempt to engage in any sexual, intimate, emotional, or inappropriate relationship with a client when a professional relationship or a real or perceived situation of dependency exists.

7.3 Any breach of professional boundaries may constitute a serious ethical violation.

ARTICLE 8 – ABUSE OF INFLUENCE AND COMMERCIAL PRACTICES

8.1 Members must demonstrate respect, transparency, and integrity in all dealings with clients.

8.2 Any form of pressure, manipulation, forced selling, or abusive commercial practice is prohibited.

8.3 Members must never condition access to a service, continuity of care, or any advantage on the purchase of unnecessary products or services.

ARTICLE 9 – FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS

9.1 Members must avoid any situation that creates a conflict of interest or financial dependency with a client.

9.2 It is strictly prohibited to borrow money from a client, solicit a loan, donation, investment, or any financial benefit, direct or indirect.

9.3 Any inappropriate financial relationship may constitute a serious ethical violation, depending on the established facts.

ARTICLE 10 – COOPERATION, VERIFICATION, AND REPORTING

10.1 Members are required to cooperate fully, loyally, and in writing with any verification or request for information made by the CPMDQ.

10.2 Refusal to cooperate, withholding information, or providing incomplete responses constitutes ethical violations.

10.3 Telephone communications do not replace the written documentation obligations required by the CPMDQ.

10.4 Members must under no circumstances intervene, represent, negotiate, argue, correspond, or take a position with an insurance company or any other third party regarding the acceptance, refusal, analysis, or interpretation of a claim, contract, or decision that does not fall within their professional role.
The member’s role is strictly limited to issuing the receipt and, where applicable, providing factual confirmation of information they personally declared, without interpretation, justification, or advocacy.

10.5 When a member possesses objective, verifiable, or documented elements reasonably suggesting that another member has committed a serious breach of this Code, they have the responsibility to notify the CPMDQ in good faith, in order to allow for an appropriate review of the situation.
This obligation does not apply to rumors, personal impressions, or differences of opinion, but only to serious facts supported by concrete elements.
It is exercised with respect for the rights of the persons concerned and without prejudice to the conclusions that may be reached by the CPMDQ.

ARTICLE 11 – PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY

(Member obligations)

11.1 Personal, confidential, and administrative information to which a member has access in the context of their membership remains the exclusive property of the CPMDQ.

11.2 Members are prohibited from using, retaining, disclosing, or transmitting such information without written authorization from the CPMDQ, except where required by law.

11.3 The obligations set out in this article apply exclusively to members and do not subject the CPMDQ to the ethical rules applicable to members.

ARTICLE 12 – SUPPORTING MEMBERS AND STUDENT MEMBERS

12.1 Supporting members and student members are required to comply with the rules of conduct, loyalty, cooperation, and confidentiality set out in this Code, insofar as they apply to their respective status.

12.2 Supporting members are not authorized to perform professional acts, issue receipts, or use a title, designation, or license number reserved for practitioner members.

12.3 Student members may practice and issue receipts only in the fields of practice, modalities, or professions for which they already hold valid accreditation, independent of their student status.

12.4 Student member status is intended exclusively for continuing education or the acquisition of additional competencies and does not authorize professional practice, issuance of receipts, or use of a title in a field of study or modality for which the student member is not already duly accredited by the CPMDQ.

12.5 It is the exclusive responsibility of the student member to comply with the limits of their status, their current accreditations, and the rules applicable to the issuance of receipts.

ARTICLE 13 – NO MANDATE OR REPRESENTATION

13.1 Membership in the CPMDQ does not create any mandate, agency, employment, partnership, or representation relationship between the member and the CPMDQ.

13.2 Members may not present themselves as representatives or spokespersons of the CPMDQ under any circumstances.

ARTICLE 14 – NO APPROVAL OF ACTS

14.1 Membership in the CPMDQ, the issuance of a license number, or the recognition of a status does not constitute approval, validation, or a guarantee of the acts performed by a member.

ARTICLE 15 – ADMINISTRATIVE AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

15.1 Any breach of this Code may result in administrative or disciplinary measures, including suspension, cancellation of membership, or refusal of reactivation.

15.2 Such measures may be applied independently of any external complaint or judicial proceeding.

ARTICLE 16 – LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

16.1 The CPMDQ assumes no civil, financial, professional, penal, or criminal liability arising from acts, omissions, faults, negligence, or offenses personally committed by a member.

16.2 Any lawsuit, investigation, or judicial proceeding involving a member falls exclusively under the member’s personal responsibility, without transfer or attribution to the CPMDQ.

16.3 The existence of this Code, or the fact that a member is affiliated with the CPMDQ, does not create any duty, responsibility, supervision, control, or liability on the part of the CPMDQ toward clients, insurers, or any third party for acts, omissions, breaches, or misconduct committed by a member.

ARTICLE 17 – ENTRY INTO FORCE

17.1 This Code, as revised and amended, enters into force upon its adoption by the CPMDQ and replaces any prior version, while ensuring continuity with the Code adopted in 1994.

17.2 It applies to all members, without exception.

ARTICLE 18 – ADOPTION BY RESOLUTION

18.1 This Code of Ethics for members, including its amendments, was adopted by resolution of the Board of Directors of the CPMDQ, duly convened for that purpose.

18.2 It enters into force on the date of its adoption by the Board of Directors and applies to all members as of that date.

18.3 This Code replaces and consolidates all prior versions, subject to the continuity of the Code originally adopted in 1994.