Massage Therapy in Canada is considered a regulated health profession in 3 of 10 provinces, those provinces being British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. Overall, there is national support for a minimum of 2200 hours of training, which is endorsed by the Massage Therapy Alliance of Canada (formerly Canadian Massage Therapist Alliance). In most provinces, there is one professional association which is a member of MTAC, which endorses the minimum 2200-hour standard.
Professional College vs. Professional Association
In Canada, the administration of health care is determined by the provincial government of each province. A regulated health profession means that the Minister of Health of each province is ultimately responsible for administering the legislative Act which governs the profession. A professional college ensures the its members conform to regulations as determined by Minister of Health, and has the power to ensure quality control measures, as well as to discipline and revoke memberships. The primary purpose of a professional college is to serve and protect the public interest and safety.
In each of the provinces where Massage therapy is a regulated health profession, a candidate for the College entrance exam (college in this instance being the governing body of the profession) must have successfully completed a program that is approved and recognized by the College. Once qualifications are deemed to be appropriate to the College requirements, applicants must write and perform an exam. The exams ensure a minimum competency of the applicant, in keeping with the purpose of professional colleges as mentioned above.
In provinces such as Ontario where massage therapy is considered a Regulated Health Profession, massage therapy associations serve the community of massage therapists by providing support to its members, such as continuing education information, peer support, group insurance, seminars etc.
In provinces where massage therapy is not considered a regulated health profession, using Nova Scotia as an example, professional associations step in to not only serve the public interest by implementing quality control measures, but also to provide massage therapy professionals with tools, resources and peer support. At this point in time (February 2009), professional associations may also require candidates to pass an entrance exam, though this in itself does not mean that the profession of massage therapy is considered 'regulated'. For our purposes, where the provincial government does not include Massage Therapy in a provincial "Act", the practice of massage will be referred to as "unregulated".
Massage Therapy as a Regulated Health Profession & Protected Titles
The titles given to members of a profession college are also protected. For example, in British Columbia, only members of the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia may call themselves Massage Therapist, Massage Practitioner or any other similar name which may lead the public to believe that the therapist is registered with the college. Any person who is not a member of the college may not use these titles, and may be subject to legal action if he or she uses them.
The minimum amount of training that a therapist must have to qualify for membership of the professional college in B.C. is 3000 hours in addition to passing an entrance exam.
In the provinces of Ontario and Newfoundland, protected titles for members of the College are Massage Therapists, Registered Massage Therapist, RMT and (in Ontario) Massotherapeute. Newfoundland has based its legislation on that of Ontario, and for both provinces a person using any of the above mentioned titles must have passed an approved program of a 2200-hour minimum as well as college entrance exams.There is also a mutual recognition agreement between the regulated provinces of British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland, where members of either College may become members of the other, provided that new members take the necessary steps to obtain qualifications which are required in the province.For information on provincial massage therapy regulation and associations, please see the following links:
Massage Therapy in unregulated provinces and territories
Most provinces have a provincial association which is recognized by the Massage Therapy Alliance of Canada, having conformed to a minimum 2200-hour educational requirement. As well, most provincial associations, regardless of their affiliation with MTAC, will accept massage therapists who have successfully completed the registration exams in British Columbia, Ontario or Newfoundland Labrador.
(this list does not necessarily mean the association is a member of MTAC, please refer to the website to confirm the status)
