The Health and Social Services Professions Act has come into force in the Northwest Territories, with naturopathic doctors as the first profession to be regulated under the Act. Naturopathic practitioners will be regulated by the Health and Social Services Registrar of Professional Licensing. Current practitioners have until September 1, 2022 to apply for licensure.
Under the Health and Social Services Professions Act, an organization representing a health or social services profession, or a group of people practicing a profession, can apply to the Minister of Health and Social Services to be designated for regulation. The application will be based on
- "A profession’s regulatory status in other jurisdictions.
- Whether there are other means to regulate members of the profession other than under the Act.
- The nature and degree, if any, of the risk to the health and safety of the public if the profession is unregulated.
- The potential economic impacts of regulation."
