Open Letter

October 2, 2026

To: BC Ministry of Health; College of Complementary Health Professionals of British Columbia (CCHPBC); All British Columbia Political Party Caucuses

Dear Minister of Health, CCHPBC Board and Executive Team, and Leaders of All British Columbia’s Political Parties,

With this open letter, the Canadian Traditional Chinese Medicine Development Alliance (CTCMDA) writes to express grave concern about the severe practical challenges facing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and public health two years after the former College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia (CTCMA) was amalgamated under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA). As British Columbia approaches a critical provincial election, Acupuncturists, TCM practitioners and hundreds of thousands of community voters from diverse backgrounds are closely watching where each political party stands. We call on all parties to recognize TCM’s place in the province’s history and multicultural life, confront the urgent public safety concerns outlined below, and respond to voters’ calls for action. British Columbians’ health and a TCM practice system shaped by more than a century of history and over 30 years of statutory regulation are at stake.

As part of the HPOA reforms, CTCMA was formally amalgamated into the College of Complementary Health Professionals of British Columbia (CCHPBC) in 2024. At the time, the government committed to unifying regulatory structures, strengthening public protection, improving administrative efficiency, and fully respecting the distinct practice characteristics and sector-specific needs of each health profession.

Two years later, some outcomes in TCM and Acupuncture regulation stand in sharp contrast to those original commitments. Between 2024 and 2026, the regulator and the Ministry of Health have repeatedly received feedback and policy proposals from TCM and Acupuncture associations and frontline TCM practitioners and Acupuncturists. Yet concerns bearing on public safety have gone without a substantive response, and serious public health risks flagged by the profession remain unresolved. Under the amalgamated regulatory structure, the TCM profession remains marginalized; revisions to the regulatory framework have steadily weakened its distinct body of knowledge.

The most pressing safety concern is the removal of the prescribing, compounding and dispensing of Chinese herbal formulas from the list of restricted activities. This has created a real and urgent gap in public protection. Following this regulatory change, individuals without systematic TCM education or a professional license are no longer prohibited by law from prescribing or dispensing Chinese herbal medicine. Members of the public may therefore obtain herbal prescriptions from unqualified individuals. The legal safeguards built over decades to protect British Columbians have been directly undermined. In addition, many registered TCM practitioners across the province report that, since amalgamation, work on TCM and Acupuncture policy has stalled and, in some areas, moved backwards. English-language proficiency requirements have created new barriers to practice. Regulatory definitions previously aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) international terminology standards for TCM have been progressively weakened. Ambiguous scope-of-practice provisions leave practitioners uncertain about the boundaries of their daily practice. These developments have seriously damaged confidence within the profession and indirectly affect British Columbians’ access to stable, high-quality TCM care.

In view of the foregoing, CTCMDA puts forward three parallel core demands to the Ministry of Health, CCHPBC and all political parties. TCM practitioners and community voters will use these demands to assess each party’s position:

• Demand 1: Within the HPOA legislative framework, preserve the effective TCM-specific regulations that existed before amalgamation.  The Ministry of Health and CCHPBC must address the safety gap created by removing herbal prescribing from the list of restricted activities. Prescribing, compounding and dispensing Chinese herbal formulas based on a TCM diagnosis must again be designated as restricted activities. Only fully trained, registered TCM practitioners with comprehensive education and the required registration should be permitted to perform these high-risk clinical activities, protecting British Columbians from harm associated with unregulated herbal treatment.

• Demand 2: CCHPBC must fulfil its statutory responsibilities and establish an independent TCM professional advisory committee with meaningful decision-making authority. The committee should include frontline TCM clinicians, TCM educators, and community and professional representatives in the revision of regulations and practice standards. Regulatory policy must fully respect TCM’s complete theoretical framework and align with WHO international TCM and Acupuncture standards. It must not simply import rules from other complementary health professions or strip away distinctive TCM clinical practices. CCHPBC must conduct a formal review two years after amalgamation, publish a standalone public report on TCM regulation, and respond directly to longstanding practitioner and community concerns.

• Demand 3: All political parties must exercise legislative oversight and listen to TCM practitioners, Acupuncturists and community voters. During this provincial election period, practitioners and community supporters will closely examine each party’s policies and public commitments. Their willingness to face these documented problems and pursue practical solutions will be an important measure by which practitioners and voters assess their positions.

The fundamental purpose of regulatory reform is to protect the public interest. Amalgamation under the HPOA must not come at the cost of eroding the professional integrity of a mature, statutorily regulated health profession, nor at the cost of British Columbians’ safety when using herbal medicine. We expect the Ministry of Health and CCHPBC to stop avoiding these serious concerns, convene genuine and thorough consultations with affected parties, and deliver a plan that can be put into action.

CTCMDA calls on the BC Ministry of Health and CCHPBC to respond directly to all the concerns set out above, provide a clear and workable plan, identify who is responsible for each step, and set a specific timetable for action. Practitioners and communities will not accept vague assurances: they need visible action and progress that can be tracked and assessed.

TCM’s history in British Columbia is closely tied to the province’s development and Canada’s early history. More than 150 years ago, during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Chinese labourers travelled across oceans to help develop British Columbia. TCM, Herbal Medicine, and Acupuncture arrived on Canada’s West Coast alongside these workers, delivering medical care to labourers. Contemporary British Columbia stands on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, and it also owes much to the immense sacrifices and contributions of Chinese railway workers. This history marks TCM’s roots in Canada and its foundational contribution to the building of the province. At election time, political parties should respect that history, cherish the province’s multicultural foundations, and fully recognize TCM’s importance to its multicultural communities.

British Columbia established the independent College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia (CTCMA) in 1996, Canada’s first statutory regulator for fully regulated TCM and acupuncture. It developed a regulatory framework suited to the profession’s distinct body of knowledge. Today, more than 2,000 registered TCM and acupuncture practitioners in the province provide more than 10 million patient visits annually. They offer accessible, affordable integrative health services to people from diverse backgrounds and are an indispensable part of British Columbia’s health-care landscape.

Respectfully submitted,

Prof. Rong-Gang Li (PhD)

Chair of Canadian Traditional Chinese Medicine Development Alliance (CTCMDA)