A deeper look into Bill 13

By Brandie Majeau
On November 24, Alberta Minister of Justice Mickey Amery hosted a rural
roundtable meeting to address the recently tabled Bill-13. Bill 13, known as the
Regulated Professions Neutrality Act, was brought about to promote fairness and
neutrality within regulated professions in Alberta. The legislation was created to ensure
that individuals in these professions can practice without being subject to biased or
discriminatory conventions based on factors unrelated to their professional qualifications
or conduct.
The goal of Bill 13 is to create an equitable and inclusive environment within
Alberta’s regulated professions. Often referred to as the “Peterson Law” after the Jordan
Peterson case in Ontario, this legislation proposes the limit of power of professional
regulatory bodies and if passed, would protect off-duty expression by preventing
professional regulators from disciplining members for conduct that conveys meaning
and occurs outside of professional duties, with narrow exceptions for threats of physical
violence, professional boundary misconduct, or criminal convictions. It would restrict
mandatory training, prohibiting regulators from requiring education or training unless it is
directly related to professional competence and ethics.
The bill also ensures regulator neutrality by prohibiting regulatory bodies from
offering preferential or adverse treatment to individuals to achieve diversity, equity, and
inclusion goals based on race, sex, political belief, sexual orientation, or other protected
grounds. Applied broadly, the bill would affect over 100 regulated professions, including
health professionals, lawyers, engineers, and teachers. Bill 13 acts as an “umbrella” by
setting overarching principles for all professional regulators in Alberta, superseding their
specific legislation when conflicts arise regarding the regulation of off-duty expression
and mandatory training. The primary objective is to ensure that all professional
regulatory bodies within the province prioritize professional competence and ethical
standards, rather than monitoring members’ personal beliefs or enforcing governmental
ideology.
The media roundtable discussed the questions of limits on free expression and
the broader reflections of whether one person’s character could be used to paint an
entire profession. There was further debate that a professional’s free expression outside
their workplace could be weaponized and used against them. Minister Amery gave
examples of reports from doctors who refrained from weighing in on public debates for

fear of backlash. Essentially, what is happening in many instances is that the fear of
consequences far outweighs the freedom of expression. This is problematic because
many professionals that should be speaking and sharing their opinions on serious
discussions, simply will not.
It is important for all Albertans (and Canadians) to actively explore the legislative
process and develop a complete understanding of political concepts on their own. By
conducting thorough research on relevant legislation, such as Bill 13, and using credible
sources, individuals need to gain knowledge and shape their own opinions.