issue. From this, we were able to develop a summary which represents Quebec’s stand on these issues.” Dr. Gonthier notes that the summary is considered public information, and he is happy to provide it for anyone who might be interested in reading it. THE NATIONAL CHALLENGE In the following month, Dr. Gonthier and the Ordre presented the results of the Que- bec October retreat to chiropractic associa- tion presidents and the Canadian Federa- tion of Chiropractic Regulatory Boards, in Regina. The presentation was well received and a translated copy of the summary was requested for all to read. By April 2008, the document was trans- lated into English – at the expense of the Ordre – and handed out to association pres- idents across Canada. But this gesture was not unconditional – it was accompanied by a challenge. “We challenged all the presidents to repeat our exercise in their own provinces and to be ready to share their results at the national meeting to be held in November 2008, in Toronto. We feel that this will give us all a clearer picture of the profession across Canada.” CHIROPRACTIC IN HEALTH CARE – THE QUEBEC APPROACH Within the vision established by Gonthier and the Ordre lies the quest to more fi rmly implant chiropractic into the health-care community, by building bridges with the other health professions. Gonthier is quick to point out that this must be done by es- tablishing relationships based on mutual re- spect for each profession’s identity, purpose and background, to avoid the possibility of compromising the salient features of any group or losing practices to anothers group’s domain. “We have to be very cautious because the game moves very fast,” says Gonthier. In order to establish dialogue with other professions, Gonthier believes that hemust begin with those persons who are best po- sitioned to communicate with each profes- sion’s members – the presidents. “We are working very hard, in Quebec, to work on a one-on-one basis with each of the 45 presidents of the different professions,” notes Gonthier, “I am meeting with each one of them, in their own offi ces, homes, restaurants or wherever they choose, to ex- plain who I am and what our Ordre does. I www.canadianchiropractor.ca bring documentation with me, so that they can read further, if they would like. When they leave, I want them to be able to say, ‘OK, that’s chiropractic.’” Dr. Gonthier himself still practises for 14 hours a week. Within this practice, he networks with a number of practitioners including pedorthists, homeopaths and a variety of others. He states, “I could put my foot on the turf of these other professionals – I have the training – but I respect their knowledge in their fi elds.” “I do things that nobody else can do, and they respect that,” adds Gonthier with con- viction. “By communicating to share infor- mation, we can work to change the percep- tion that the professional world, in Quebec, has about us.” Gonthier’s efforts, in this domain, have already borne fruits. In Quebec, profes- sional bodies from other health disciplines have assisted the Ordre in its work with the provincial government – by providing guid- ance and their own documentation– in the hope that DCs will be successful in achiev- ing their goals within the system. REACHING THE PUBLIC After outlining two aspects of the vision held by the Ordre – communication within the profession and educating other health- care professionals regarding chiropractic – Dr. Gonthier moves to the third aspect of this vision, which deals with reaching the public by teaching chiropractic to as many people as possible in a clear fashion. To help achieve this, Gonthier has en- couraged the Ordre to develop a website that addresses the needs of the chiroprac- tors as well as the needs of the public – but that addresses these needs separately. “We can, and should, discuss our issues on a website that is meant for chiropractors – but this will cause confusion if it’s in the public eye. The public should have access to their own site, where our vision and pur- pose for patients is clearly outlined.” To this end, the Ordre des Chiropractici- ens du Quebec will launch its new website on June 10, 2008. Dr. Gonthier states, “I am particularly proud of the progress which the Ordre des chiropracticiens has made in just one year. We have an excellent dynamic and look for- ward to working together, with the profes- sion, to establish understanding and praise for chiropractic throughout the province of Quebec.” • SUBSCRIBE TODAY ! $2800 7 ISSUES only (GST $29.40; QST/HST $31.64) • US $35.00 (USD) • Foreign $50.00 (USD) Name: ___________________________ Clinic Name: ______________________ Address: _________________________ City: ____________________________ Prov: ____________________________ P.Code: ___________________________ Tel: _____________________________ Fax: _____________________________ e-mail: ___________________________ PLEASE CHECK ONE: Doctor of Chiropractic Chiropractic or Student Educational or Research Inst. Other ______________________ Please Specify TYPE OF PRACTICE Solo Group Chiropractic Integrated Disciplines Other ______________________ Please Specify Not in Practice - Student ARE YOU? (SELECT ONE) Owner t Assistant t Other ______________________ t Please Specify Associate t Employee t PAYMENT: Cheque - Payable to Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. Amex Visa MC Account #: ____________________________ Expiry: ___________________________ Signature: ____________________________ Date: ________________________________ TO SUBSCRIBE: Tel: 866-790-6070 Fax: 877-624-1940 Mail: Canadian Chiropractor c/o Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. P.O. Box 530 Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 4N5 e-mail: [email protected] www.canadianchiropractor.ca GST#867172652RT0001 0608CC CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | JUNE 2008 • 33 t t t t t t t t t
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