Bill 42: An Act Respecting the Disclosure of Information to Professional Regulatory Bodies

This bill mainly affects regulated professionals in New Brunswick — such as social workers, lawyers, psychologists, or other licensed practitioners — who work with children, youth, or families and are subject to oversight by a professional regulatory body. If you run a private practice or work within a firm that deals with vulnerable clients, your files and case information could now be disclosed to your regulatory body during a conduct investigation without your client's consent. The practical day-to-day impact is that your regulatory body has broader access to case records when looking into complaints about your professional conduct. Sole practitioners and small practices are just as exposed as larger organizations, since the trigger is membership in the regulated profession, not the size of the business.