Del Duca: Ford’s Justification of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Deregulation is Either Dishonest or Incompetent

TORONTO – Steven Del Duca, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, debunked Doug Ford’s claim his deregulation of Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture was due to their requirements for English or French.

“Doug Ford is either completely incompetent, or his justification of his deregulation decision is totally dishonest as the language requirements for the profession are ultimately made by cabinet, not the college,” Del Duca revealed.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Act, 2006: “The applicant must be able to speak, read and write either English or French with reasonable fluency.”

It would take less than 5 minutes to change that provincial regulation at a cabinet meeting.

“A Liberal government will restore the college, repeal section five and expand the province’s language requirements for this important health profession,” said Del Duca.

“Doug Ford’s surprise deregulation of acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine will not only undermine public confidence in qualified practitioners, but it also undermines the safety of those relying on these health services. Doug Ford’s failure to come clean over the real reason for his decision and backing of Conservative MPPs for his deregulation show they can no longer be trusted after this shocking betrayal,” Del Duca added.

Doug Ford’s new Bill 88 repeals the Traditional Chinese Medicine Act, which gave the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario regulatory, licensing and enforcement authority in the province. The bill places the college under the control of an administrator tasked with “winding up” its operations.

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