Medical Matters: Healthcare legislation overview

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As you may know, the Government of Alberta recently passed five pieces of legislation that may influence how we regulate the profession and how you deliver care. CPSA is closely reviewing each Bill to understand what implications they may have for our regulatory processes and how that may impact our regulated members. If any changes are required, we will keep you informed. Above all, we remain committed to protecting patients and supporting the provision of safe, high-quality care under the authorities of the Health Professions Act. Below are the Bills that include a healthcare component, including very high-level descriptors of the sections that may pertain to CPSA and our regulated members as we understand them today (Dec. 12, 2025)

Bill 9: Protecting Alberta’s Children Statutes Amendment Act

This Bill amends Bill 26, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 (No. 2), in relation to gender-affirming care for minors. Bill 26 received Royal Assent in December 2024. One section—1.91 (prohibition against gender-affirming surgical interventions)—came into force at that time. However, sections 1.92 (prohibition against gender-affirming medical treatment) and 1.93 (Ministerial Order requirements) will only come into force once they are proclaimed, and no proclamation date has been announced. Until proclamation is issued, these sections are not yet active.

Bill 9 invokes the notwithstanding clause protection under section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for the Health Professions Act amendments made through Bill 26. This was to respond to the current constitutional challenge to the Bill 26 changes being pursued in the Egale Canada v. Alberta proceeding. Until Bill 9 is proclaimed in force, the existing court injunction issued by Justice Kuntz in Egale Canada v. Alberta remains in place and the notwithstanding clause protection included in Bill 9 does not take effect. As a result, there are no immediate changes to the current legal status of gender-affirming care in Alberta.

CPSA will continue to monitor developments closely. Once the government provides further information on proclamation dates, additional regulations, or the process for Ministerial Orders, we will share updates with the profession.

Bill 10: The Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2)

This Bill amends the Fair Registration Practices Act (FRPA) to prohibit regulatory bodies from requiring Canadian work experience (or work experience tied to Canada) as a registration condition unless approved by the Minister for public safety reasons.

CPSA does not currently have a Canadian work experience requirement, but we will be reviewing our registration processes to ensure compliance.

Bill 11: Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No.2)

This Bill amends the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act, creating a “dual practice” model in Alberta, allowing physicians to work concurrently in both the public and private systems and charge patients out-of-pocket for certain services, in addition to amendments aimed to improve information-sharing and system management.

Other amendments bring changes to the Health Insurance Premiums Act, Health Information Act, Public Health Act, Provincial Health Agencies Act, and the Health Professions Act, including restricting mandatory education requirements under CPSA’s Continuing Competence Program.

CPSA will be reviewing our training requirements to ensure compliance with the new legislation.

Bill 12: Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2)

This Bill includes revisions to the Adult Guardianship and Trustee Act (AGTA), which interact with CPSA Standards of Practice on Informed Consent and Capacity Assessment. CPSA will be reviewing our standards and advice documents to align with new terminology and AGTA section references.

Bill 13: The Regulated Professions Neutrality Act

This Bill protects the off-duty freedom of expression of all regulated professionals in Alberta. Regulators can not discipline members for expressive conduct outside of work unless it involves threats, boundary violations, misuse of a professional position, certain types of sexual misconduct, or criminal convictions. The Bill also restricts mandatory training to only that which is related to professional competence or ethics, and requires regulators to remain neutral and prohibit preferential treatment based on characteristics such as race, sex, religion, political beliefs, or gender identity.

This Bill directs how all regulatory bodies in Alberta manage their internal work with their employees and how they carry out regulation. This does not change how regulated members manage their own practices. This Bill will require a review of some affected internal and external policies, and changes will be made in some areas, including complaints and standards.

So – what happens next? Once a Bill has passed three readings in the Legislative Assembly, it receives Royal Assent. Following Royal Assent, the government may bring the Act into force immediately or set a future date through proclamation. There may also be supporting regulations developed after the Act is passed. Once proclaimed, there is typically a transition period to allow regulators and other affected organizations time to make any required changes. For this reason, some details—particularly those that apply specifically to health professions—may not be fully known until later this spring.

As the legislative process moves forward, CPSA will continue to monitor developments and keep the profession informed of any changes that may affect regulatory expectations or processes.