The requirement to be “reasonably fluent” in either English or French is a requirement shared by all health professions regulated under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. It is seen as necessary to ensure that the health professions are integrated and able to serve the public as safe as possible.

• In a 2014 decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that CTCMPAO’s language fluency requirement is not discriminatory. Importantly, the College’s language proficiency is exemptible.
• Since 2013, not one applicant has been denied registration because of a lack of language proficiency.
• CTCMPAO’s Language Fluency Policy is flexible and provides applicants with multiple ways of demonstrating their fluency.

CTCMPAO takes significant measures to accommodate applicants who are not reasonably fluent in English or French.

• Of the more than 2700 members of the College, over 100 have declared that they are not fluent in English or French.
• These members have been registered with a written language plan that ensures they have a translator (assistant, receptionist who speaks their language) available to them for their practice, and that they take steps to improve their fluency in English or French.
• They are able to become registered to practise the profession and are able to write the College’s Safety and Jurisprudence tests with the help of a translator or supporting dictionaries.
• The Office of the Fairness Commissioner (who is responsible for ensuring that all regulatory registration requirements are transparent, objective, impartial, and fair) is supportive of the College’s efforts to assist applicants who struggle to meet the language requirement (see 2016-2017 CTCMPAO Registration Practices Assessment Report).

Similar to the language requirement, CTCMPAO strives to apply all other registration requirements in a transparent, objective, impartial and fair manner. The Office of the Fairness Commissioner has regularly commended CTCMPAO’s registration process for its fairness. The Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (which, upon request, reviews registration decisions from all the registration committees of all regulated health colleges) has upheld the decisions made by the CTCMPAO Registration Committee.

Aside from accommodation in the registration process, the College regularly provides communications to members with a Chinese translation（or in other languages upon request） to ensure that all members understand the content. The College also has staff who are fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese available, should a member need assistance in a language that is more comfortable to them.

Sincerely,

Ann Zeng
Registrar and CEO

安省中醫師及針灸師管理局對註冊成員語言能力要求及持續提供支持的說明

Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 規定所有受監管的醫療護理從業人員須具有“合理流利程度”的英語或法語能力。這項要求被視為整合醫療護理行業，並確保從業人員能夠盡可能安全地為公眾服務的必要條件。

• 在2014年的一個法庭案例中，安省高等法院裁定安省中醫師及針灸師管理局對語言能力的註冊要求並不涉及歧視。更重要的是，管理局對語言能力的要求是可豁免的。
• 自2013年起，管理局並沒有任何一個申請人因語言能力不足而被拒絕註冊。
• 安省中醫師及針灸師管理局的語言能力政策是靈活的，並且提供多種方式讓申請人證明其語言流利程度。

安省中醫師及針灸師管理局竭力向未能達到合理程度的英語或法語能力要求的申請人提供特別安排。

• 管理局現有超過2700名註冊成員，其中100多名成員聲明他們的英語或法語不能達到合理程度的流利。
• 這些成員均成功註冊，並且遞交了書面的語言能力協助計劃，以確保他們在翻譯（或是會說他們語言的助理、接待員）的陪同下執業，並採取措施提高他們的英語或法語的流利程度。
• 這些成員能夠註冊從事中醫及針灸行業，並且在翻譯的協助下或者使用翻譯字典來完成管理局要求的安全和法學測試。
• 公平事務專員辦公室（負責監督所有管理局註冊要求達到透明，客觀，公正，公平的標準的部門）一直支持管理局在幫助英語或法語能力有困難的申請人方面所做的努力（參見2016-2017年安省中醫師及針灸師管理局Registration Practices Assessment Report）。

與語言能力要求相同，安省中醫師及針灸師管理局致力所有註冊要求都達到透明、客觀、公正和公平的標準。公平事務專員辦公室經常表揚管理局的註冊過程是公平合理的。醫療護理行業上訴和審查委員會（受理上訴，審理所有醫療護理行業管理局註冊委員會決定的部門）也讚成管理局註冊委員會所做出的決定。

除了在註冊過程中提供特別安排外，管理局還定期向成員提供有中文翻譯(或有需要的其他語言)的信息，以確保所有註冊成員都能理解相關內容。管理局還有精通普通話和廣東話的工作人員，為有需要的成員提供語言服務。

謹啟,

Ann Zeng
Registrar and CEO