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Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards 901 54th Ave., #101, Greeley, CO 80634 (970) 356-3500 FAX (970) 356-3599 Protecting the public and serving our member boards by promoting excellence in chiropractic regulation. |
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I have had the privilege of serving as President since 1994 and from this vantage point I have seen enormous changes in our organization. The CFCRB has continued to evolve into a truly effective chiropractic organization dedicated to serving the needs of provincial regulatory boards.
At our Annual Meeting in 1995 we engaged in a planning process to review where the CFCRB had come from and where we needed to go. Our three top priorities were identified as information exchange, problem solving assistance and providing a forum to discuss regulatory functions and disciplinary actions. As a result we began to change the CFCRB. We have addressed each of the priority areas and we have made the structural changes necessary to respond effectively.
It has now been two years since our bylaws were overhauled to create a more flexible and dynamic structure and two years since we made the decision to retain outside administrative assistance. The results of these two changes are evident to everyone.
As a result of the bylaw changes, our Board has been expanded to increase participation and representation. Our Committees have been able to include participants from outside our Board which has, for the first time, allowed us to use the expertise of the profession at large and ensure we do not overwhelm Board members. The manner in which our AIT and Specialization Committees have worked would not have been possible under our old bylaws.
As a result of the decision to retain a part time Executive Director we have been able to dramatically increase the amount of communication we have had with our provincial members. I also believe we simply would not have been able to get the AIT job done without our Executive Director.
"To assist in the governance of the practice of chiropractic in the public interest."
The specific objectives of the CFCRB are:
The Mission and Objectives have remained remarkably consistent over the last two decades and are the guide posts against which all activities should be judged. Every time we are faced with a request to act as a corporate body within chiropractic, we should look to the Mission and Objectives to ensure that we are truly serving our members interests.
I believe that we have been very effective in the past year in advancing the Mission and Objectives.
I would also like to salute those who have come before us and helped to build the CFCRB.
Let us recognize those who have served as President since the inception of the Federation:
Ronald Carter, DC - 1978-83
Fred Barnes, DC - 1983-85
Andre Audette, DC - 1985-91
Bob Tharp, DC - 1991-93
Jim Nykoliation, DC - 1993-94
Let us also acknowledge those who have been recognized for their contribution over the years by being named "Honourary Directors":
Douglas Alderson, DC
Andre Audette, DC
Fred Barnes, DC
Hal Beasely, DC
Ronald Carter, DC
David Peterson, DC
Bob Tharp, DC
Stephen West, DC
Given the limited financial resources of the Federation, the option of retaining the services of a consultant whose office serves as our office, is ideal. Not only that, but in Peter, we have someone who knows chiropractic, knows our issues and knows our people. All those who have worked with him know of his strong commitment to our profession.
This past year was the first time the CFCRB ever created a budget, and the first time that financial statements, other than the auditor's report, were ever prepared and reported to the Board. A great deal of effort on the part of the Treasurer and Executive Director have gone into the preparation of budgets and financial statements which have become very necessary given the new level of activity within the CFCRB.
It should be clear to everyone that without an adequate level of financial support from our provincial members, the CFCRB cannot effectively fulfill its mandate. While the 1998 audit shows a surplus, we must remember that this includes a grant of $20,000 from the CCA towards the Specialties Committee, of which only $4,500 was spent by December 31, 1998.
We must take responsibility for funding the work of the CFCRB ourselves, and that means the Member provincial regulatory boards. The decisions we make on financial matters will be crucial to our ability to be an effective organization.
While the Federation's activities have clearly increased, we have been very conscious of our fiscal and human resources. Wherever possible, meetings of the board and committees were held concurrently in order to reduce expenses and the imposition on our volunteers.
Given the sensitive nature of many of the issues which we are handling, it is of great importance that Member provincial regulatory boards be kept informed. While we have definitely improved in this area, we need to explore additional methods for improving the communication between the CFCRB and our Member provincial regulatory boards.
At that meeting the Executive Director and I were asked to speak on the CFCRB's work in the areas of the Agreement on Internal Trade and on Specialties.
During the Board meeting held last March, there was considerable concern expressed over the governance of the CCEB. No one had a copy of the CCEB bylaws, no one knew who the CCEB members were, how the Board was elected, or had seen the financial statements.
It is important to remember that while the provinces had these concerns about CCEB, there was also a very high appreciation for the exams offered by the CCEB and the work of its volunteers and staff.
The issues identified by the provinces during the Board meeting last March were raised with the Chairman of the CCEB prior to, and during the course of, the negotiations for the National Clinical Competency Exam.
The CCEB approved bylaw amendments on October 17, 1998 changing the membership so that in future, the members of the CCEB will be the provincial regulatory boards. This change received Ministerial approval from Industry Canada on January 18, 1999.
These changes are consistent with what the CFCRB Executive requested in the Exam negotiations with the CCEB and we are hopeful that they will ensure that the provincial regulatory boards have appropriate control over the election of the CCEB's Board and access to the financial statements.
While this issue has been satisfactorily dealt with, there are two outstanding issues with the CCEC. First, Dr. Guy had requested that the CFCRB begin to collect CCEC dues again. In response, the CFCRB Board approved a motion in March 1998 offering to collect dues on behalf of CCEC. We have not yet heard from CCEC as to whether they would like us to collect their dues.
The second issue relates to the governance of the CCEC. The CFCRB, along with the CCA and CCEB, is a member of the CCEC. The CFCRB is asked to nominate individuals to serve on the CCEC. However, the CFCRB is no longer given notice of CCEC Annual Meetings and bylaw amendments no longer appear to require member approval. This issue was raised in correspondence with Dr. Guy however no response has been received yet.
This has been the biggest challenge that the CFCRB has had to face in its twenty years. It demonstrated the necessary role that the CFCRB plays for the profession in Canada.
I want to thank all those who contributed to this effort, the representatives of the provinces, of the CCEB and the CCA. I want to thank the CCA and Human Resources Development Canada for their financial assistance. I especially want to thank Dr. Jim Nykoliation, who took on this thankless task before he had any idea how much work would be involved.
Specialties can only effectively exist when recognized by a provincial regulatory board. Research into how medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine handle specialties has been conducted and the Chair of the Committee, Dr. Danis has concluded that chiropractic is lagging behind. The Committee will come up with a model that will meet the needs of chiropractic and gain recognition for our specialties by the community. It is our hope that the provincial regulatory boards will embrace this new model so that there is a consistent definition of Specialties across Canada.
I also want to recognize the CCPA and the College of Chiropractors of Ontario for their support of the Conference.
It used to be that you showed up to the CFCRB Annual Conference and ended up acting as a Director for the duration of the meeting. Not any longer. Now, a Board appointment is for twelve months. It comes with responsibilities and an ongoing obligation to always remember that while Board members have duties to their provincial board, they must also think about how the CFCRB can help their board.
The future success of the CFCRB will largely depend on how effectively Board members embrace their role. The Board of Directors are the eyes and ears of the Federation to our members. It is only if they report to their province on what the CFCRB is and does, and report to the CFCRB on what their province wants the CFCRB to be doing, that we can be effective.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who put in time and effort this year to give the Federation the ability to grow. It takes time, energy and dedication to accomplish what has been done in the last few years.
Finally, let me say that the past year has been the busiest since the Federation was established in 1978. It is very clear that if the CFCRB did not exist, the provincial regulatory Boards would have to create it.
Respectfully submitted,
Daniel Saint-Germain, DC
President
March 5, 1999