Our mission, values and activities

Our mission

The Collège is the professional order of physicians in Québec. To fulfill its mission of protecting the public by ensuring quality medical care, it ensures that professional and ethical standards of medical practice are respected, while supporting practicing and future physicians in their professional careers. Here are the six main activities that support our mission.

1. Admission to the medical profession
   The Collège ensures the quality of medical and postgraduate training, and that each and every future physician possesses the knowledge, skills and aptitudes required to practice medicine. It issues permits and authorizations to practice.
2. Supervision of professional practice
   Through professional inspections, the Collège monitors the quality of professional practice and the competence of its members. It also ensures that its members maintain and develop their skills.
3. Compliance with professional ethics
   Through the Syndic, the Collège ensures compliance with ethical standards, laws and regulations. It receives and handles requests for investigation from the public.
4. Monitoring the illegal exercise of medical activities
   The profession of physician may only be practiced by people who are registered with the Order. The Collège may investigate and institute legal proceedings when it is of the opinion that a person who is not a health care professional is misleading the public into believing that they can treat health problems.
5. Professional development and continuing education
   The Collège designs and organizes various types of professional development, upgrading and remediation activities for physicians, in the context of professional upgrading, reorientation or return to practice.
6. Regulatory framework
   The Collège sets and monitors standards for the practice of the profession. These standards cover ethics, record-keeping, prescription writing and maintenance of competence.

Our values

The CMQ relies on values that serve as a guide.

Commitment : The Collège places the protection of the public at the very heart of its actions and puts the expertise of its members at the service of the collective interest.

Rigour : A Collège worthy of the trust of the public and its members by virtue of its professionalism, competence and objectivity.

Collaboration : A Collège that relies on dialogue and promotes partnerships to achieve health care excellence.

Integrity : A reliable Collège, whose decisions are fair, impartial and credible.

Respect : An empathetic Collège, attentive to the public, its members and its employees.

Services and recourse for the public

Learn more about CMQ services:

• Physicians and residents directory
• Access to Your Health Information
• Follow a disciplinary file
• Report concerning the illegal practice of medicine 
• Signature authentication
• Information on the disciplinary hearings
• Contesting a physician’s fees

Our commitments

The Collège offers its services in accordance with the following principles:

• To place the protection of the public at the very heart of its actions;
• See patients as partners in their care;
• Demonstrate listening, respect and courtesy;
• Receive requests with kindness and openness;
• Support the person in their dealings with the order;
• Apply best practices in terms of equity, diversity and inclusion.

All CMQ staff members are subject to the Code of Ethics and Conduct for Employees of the Collège des médecins du Québec (in French only).

Access to information and protection of personal information

Find out more about the protection of personal information and the procedure for requesting access to a document or medical record held by the CMQ.

• Submit a request for access to information
• Protection of personal information

Our vision and our team

The CMQ makes decisions and takes actions to develop closer relations with the public and ensure quality health care.

To perform its functions, the CMQ relies on a Board of Directors and a Requests Committee along with standing committees and nine divisions: the Legal Affairs Division, the Communications and Public Affairs Division, the Professional Development and Remediation Division, the Inquiries Division, the Medical Education Division, the Finances and Information Technology Division, the Executive Office, the Professional Inspection Division and the Human Resources Division. The Executive Office coordinates the activities of all the divisions and implements the decisions and orientations of the Board of Directors and the Requests Committee.

Directors and committee members must commit to comply with and promote compliance with the standards of ethics and professional conduct set out in the Code d’éthique et de déontologie des administrateurs et membres de comités [Code of ethics and professional conduct for directors' and committee members; in French only].

See also the Collège's Déclaration de services aux citoyens [Statement of services for citizens; in French only], which affirms its commitments to the public, candidates for medical practice and its members.

Declaration of Services to the Public

Also see the College's Declaration of Services to the Public (in French only), which affirms its commitments to the public, candidates for admission to the profession and its members.