Media Advisory - Press conference : The Collège des médecins of Quebec supports the regulation of Massage therapy in Quebec

MONTREAL, Jan. 14, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - It's on Monday, February 16th, 2015 that The Quebec Federation of Massage Therapists (FQM) will announce that the first and most respected authority in the Healthcare system, the Collège des médecins of Quebec (CMQ) supports the regulation and professional supervision of Massage Therapy in Quebec.

Date : Monday, February 16th, 2015
Place : FQM offices - 4428 boulevard St-Laurent, Suite 400 (4th floor) – Montreal (Qc) H2W 1Z5
Hour : at 10:30 AM

In attendance :

• Sylvie Bédard : President and CEO of the FQM
• Docteur Pierre Audet-Lapointe : Oncologist - co-founder of the Quebec Cancer Foundation
• Michel Eid : licensed massage therapist specialized in the treatment of lymphedema
• Ghislaine Brosseau : cancer patient
• Isabelle St-Georges : cancer patient

Through the voice of its Deputy registrar, Dr. Jean-Bernard Trudeau declares that "the Collège des médecins recognizes that many stakeholders are active in the field of Massage Therapy without having their professional practice supervised" and that the risk of potential harm associated with this practice in the social and healthcare services exists. "From the perspective of the public protection, the CMQ recognizes the need for supervision by the professional system of Quebec."

Let's remind that 66% of Quebecers who use the services of a massage therapist, do so for health related problems (oncology, chronic pain ...). However, Massage Therapy in Quebec and other unregulated provinces is facing issues that must be brought to the attention of the general public as well as relevant governmental bodies to ensure by an Act, the public's protection.

To support this, we just have to think about recent cases of sexual abuses by massage therapists on their clients, under the guise of treatment (i.e. Case of a Saskatchewan massage therapist convicted of sexual assault in September 2014, who can still practice, because of the lack of regulation). In addition, the Bill C-36 could allow some erotic massage parlours to legitimize their activities by posing as true massage therapy clinics. If this situation carries on, it could create a real confusion among the general public, for which finding a professional and safe massage therapist is already difficult.

Since 1979, the public's wellness, health and protection are at the core of the mission of the Quebec Federation of Massage Therapists, which establishes and offers all the available resources, to provide quality training and rigorous professional supervision to certified massage therapists in Quebec. This, until the creation of a College of massage therapists for which the FQM is vying.

In conclusion, we invite you to read the full version of the support letter from the Collège des médecins (only in French).

SOURCE Québec Federation of Massage Therapists

PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2015/02/13/20150213_C5142_PDF_EN_12167.pdf

For further information: Alain Beauregard, Director Communication and Marketing, Tel: [phone] ext: 226, Email: [email protected]