Co-sponsors of the joint declaration 本活動聯合發起單位：

加拿大華人聯合總會 Canadian Community Service Association

加拿大中醫之家 Home of Canadian TCM Society

加拿大抗腫瘤康復協會 Canada Anti-Cancer Rehabilitation Association

加拿大中華中醫藥學會 Canada Sino Medical Association

In this joint declaration, we, the supporters of the continued offering of Chinese languages in the Pan-Canadian Entry-level Examinations in TCM and Acupuncture (the “Pan-Canadian Examinations”), strongly urge the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia (CTCMA) to reconsider its decision to accept the planned change made by the Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies for Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists (CARB-TCMPA) to abandon offering of the examinations in both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese after October 2021.

According to CARB-TCMPA’s Notice to Pan-Canadian Examination Candidates on January 12, 2021, supporting Chinese Languages “is lengthy, resource intensive, and costly. Passing this cost along to candidates could create a financial burden to candidates and potentially introduce a barrier to enter the profession.” The reality is that the extra cost has always been passed on to the candidates who elected to write the exams in Chinese. This additional cost makes up only a small percentage of the total cost for obtaining necessary TCM credentials. The removal of the Chinese language option would create a much larger barrier to enter the profession for Chinese speaking candidates, which would generate the very problem the planned change was claiming to address.

Not only was the rationale for the change unsound, but the change process itself also showed a lack of proper process and due diligence. Ever since incorporating TCM in the BC Health Professional Act (HPA) in 1996, the tradition of using Chinese languages as a valid alternative to English has long been practiced in the profession. At the CTCMA annual general meetings (AGM) in both 2011 and 2012, the resolution to use Chinese languages to supplement English in teaching, examining, and record-keeping in the TCM professions was incorporated into its regulations. Therefore, CARB-TCMPA’s decision without passing a resolution in the College’s AGM, without authorization of the College, was a violation of 2011/2012 resolutions. The unilateral decision made by CARB-TCMPA without consulting CTCMA disregarded the legitimate rights and responsibilities of the College whose role should have been respected.

The TCM health professions in BC setup the regulatory College and developed processes to regulate this profession in BC. Every decision that affects the TCM profession’s development would need to be proposed and be voted on by the members of CTCMA. Removing the Chinese Language option in the CARB-TCMPA handbook without consensus from CTCMA severely undermined the rigorous process developed by the BC TCM profession.

Furthermore, the planned change would challenge the College’s mandate to protect the public interest because the quality of TCM offerings would deteriorate. The unique healing power of TCM has its roots in ancient Chinese culture whose heritage is captured and uniquely expressed by the Chinese language. Despite the best efforts of many scholars, important concepts are often lost in translation. For example, the Chinese names of acupuncture points provide useful hints about their functions, whereas this essential information is missing in the numbering scheme of the English translation. Thus, preserving and promoting the Chinese language in the transmission of TCM knowledge is vitally important.

The large and growing number of Chinese speaking immigrants in BC is a testimony to the success of Canada’s multiculturalism. Many such immigrants require the help of Chinese speaking TCM practitioners to address their health needs. Because of BC’s bilingual TCM culture, it has been able to attract some highly skilled Chinese speaking TCM doctors to BC to treat patients and to share their knowledge, sustaining the continuous growth of the BC’s TCM professions in both quantity and quality. This competitive advantage should be valued and maintained.

In any education system, any policy change that severely impacts its educators and students should not proceed without proper consultation with the affected stakeholders. Many TCM educators designed their curriculums abiding by the CTCMA examination guideline, and many students enrolled in TCM programs because of this unique language offering in the BC’s TCM license certifications. CARB-TCMPA failed to set up public consultation with the schools and students in BC. Their rushed decision left these TCM educators and students bewildered and frustrated.

Each TCM regulatory has its autonomy to regulate its TCM professions in the perspective province. To continue the advancement of the TCM professions in BC, we respectfully request the board directors at CTCMA to oppose the decision made by CARB-TCMPA and to honor the resolutions made in its 2011/2012 AGM by continuing to offer the Pan-Canadian Examinations in both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese languages.

We hope that other provinces would eventually see BC’s success as the model to emulate and adopt the same Chinese language options to promote the growth of TCM so that the Canadian public can receive the best that TCM can offer.

關於“加拿大中醫師和針灸師監管機構聯盟”取消在中醫師針灸師職業資格考試中使用中文行為的聯合聲明

近日，驚悉加拿大中醫師和針灸師監管機構聯盟

(CARB-TCMPA：Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies for Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists，以下簡稱“監管聯盟”）決定在2021年10月份之後的BC省中醫師針灸師職業資格考試中取消使用中文考試的行動，這讓我們感到極大擔憂與憤怒！

此舉一出，令所有在中醫學院在讀的學生、執業中醫界、中醫相關產業以及本地各族裔中引起強烈反響！這，意味著在BC省中醫界使用中文的歷史傳統面臨著逐步趨向沒落或終結，進而對中醫隨後的持續發展與優良繼承帶來無法挽回的巨大損失。

眾所周知，語言所承載的相關知識和人類對世界的認識方法和方式是與承載這些人類智慧的語言有唇亡齒寒的依存關係。相關語言的運用以及其記載的智慧是具有獨特的借鑒和思維方式的引導意義的。中文，作為中醫傳承與傳播的重要語言載體，無時不刻在驗證著中醫的獨特醫學思維和寶貴的醫學實踐驗。這樣的中醫留給後人的，不僅僅只是使用，更為重要的是人類智慧的寶貴記憶和傳承。

鑒於“監管聯盟”在罔顧傳承和事實的情況下，擅自取消在2021年10月份之後的BC省中醫師針灸師職業資格考試中使用中文考試的行動，我們對“監管聯盟”的所作所為有以下幾點需要指出：

1.侵犯了廣大公眾的健康選擇權益；

中醫及中醫針灸作為具有幾千年傳承的優良和卓

有成效的重視實踐之醫學，在諸多疑難雜症、各類病痛、慢性病及老年病等多領域都有獨特的療效和優勢，彌補了很多現代醫學的不足和短板。多年來，中醫不僅為BC省，也為包括華人在內的所有加拿大各族裔的健康福祉做出了不可磨滅的貢獻。

若“監管聯盟”現在的這個取消中文考試的檔及其行為的實施，在可以預見的未來，勢必會削弱中醫及中醫針灸的傳承、發展、進步與壯大。這樣的趨勢，恐會深遠影響每一位居住在BC省的省民健康；事實上，BC省作為加拿大人口大省之一，中醫及中醫針灸作為各族裔治療各類疾病及日常保健的依賴被選項，離不開中文作為其傳承工具的重要作用。所有民眾的就診擇醫權利受到影響或剝奪，進而累及廣大民眾的身體健康。

2. 涉嫌違法；

“監管聯盟”現在的這個取消中文考試的行為，是和2011年CTCMA通過的提案相違背的。自1996年中醫在BC省立法，就明確了使用英中雙語。2011年和2012年AGM 的決議：BC省可以使用：中文教學，中文考試，中文病歷，同時CTCMA採用中英文雙語網頁。而且另一個更為重要的事實是：沒有相關提案或者通過的立法來否決2011年CTCMA已經通過的提案的合法及合程式性。

更有甚者，“監管聯盟”現在的這個取消中文考試的行為，其產生過程和流程，都沒有按照提議、調查、廣泛徵詢意見、表決和表決通過等流程操作。沒有這樣的流程操作，那麼，“監管聯盟”現在的這個取消中文考試的行為及其檔是不合規的。（此處合規包括了相關提議的議事程式，提議的通過程式，檔的通過認可程式，以及後續的檔公佈執行程式等。）

因此，“監管聯盟”現在的這個取消中文考試的檔及其行為，涉嫌違背了現有法條和涉嫌非法操作。

3. 不利於中醫和中醫針灸的傳承和發展；

BC省是加拿大首個為中醫及中醫針灸立法的省份，法律規定中醫針灸註冊考試等可以採取中英文雙語制度，正是得益於此，BC省的中醫發展一直居於中醫發展的前列。

雖然中醫起源於中國，興盛於中國，但是現在中

醫更為廣泛的傳播於全世界。中醫能夠得到廣泛傳承與傳播，離不開中文作為具體的文字載體的功勞；中文獨有的人類智慧及沿襲，已經成為中醫廣泛傳承和傳播不可替代的重要組成部分。中醫的精髓更是藏於中文的字裏行間和中醫古典醫籍中。假若沒有了使用中文的中醫，中醫就如無源之水、無根之木，何談傳承與發展？！倘若中醫從業者，無法閱讀或者讀懂重要的古典文獻典籍，那麼更好的傳承和發展從何而起？故從此意義上講，我們不僅要繼續保留並使用中文，還要持續鼓勵研習中醫者更多的學習和使用中文，從而在業務上日漸精進！如此才能真正學習和領會博大精深的中醫文化，成為為病患負責的中醫師！

4. 對中文中醫教育院校及考生的影響；

對於任何影響中醫教育的各類政策，都需事先透過中醫管理局與各中醫學校先行溝通並交換意見和看法以及補充不足並達成共識後，再通過合理的提案生效程式使之合法，方可推廣執行。

現“監管聯盟”沒有經過BC省中醫針灸管理局法律程式認可的情況下，單方面宣佈取消BC省中醫針灸師職業資格考試中使用中文，此種做法讓各中醫學校和廣大師生驚愕的同時。也違反了教育政策公開透明的精神。其結果必然會打亂相關學校的教學秩序、招生計畫並深遠影響其存亡。

此外，對於那些將於2021年10月份以後參加考試的學生來說，是極其不公平的。此前，他們已經投入了大量的時間、精力和學費來學習中醫，現在卻宣佈以後不能用中文考試，這令他們措手不及，並對未來的職業生涯產生不必要的擔憂和擾亂。

5. 對中醫及中醫針灸相關從業人員的影響；

如若取消使用中文考試，大量英語水準不足的執

業中醫針灸師將會面臨失業的風險。迫於生計，部分從業人員可能會轉入地下進行非法執業。失去行業監管的非法行醫，最終導致廣大普通民眾的健康受到威脅並成為最終受害者。

各個中醫學校的老師們，將會直接面臨被迫失業。 在受COVID-19持續影響且失業率居高不下的今天，這樣的社會風險，是任誰都無法承擔的。

6. 背離加拿大多元文化的基本國策和價值觀；

多元文化是加拿大立國的基本國策。也正是多元文化造就了今日之加拿大。多元文化更是加拿大一直以來引以為傲的重要價值觀。

不可否認，中文和中醫都是加拿大多元文化的重要組成部分。此次“監管聯盟”取消使用中文考試的行為，這與加拿大的基本國策和價值觀背道而馳。長遠看，不符合加拿大的國家利益。

7. 涉嫌種族歧視和違反人權；

“監管聯盟”取消使用中文考試的決定，傷害了使用中文學習中醫和享受中醫服務的相關族裔，涉嫌種族歧視和違反人權。

8. 完全沒有尊重BC省中醫針灸管理局（CTCMA):

現“監管聯盟”沒有經過BC省中醫針灸管理局法律程式認可的情況下，直接宣佈取消BC省中醫針灸師職業資格考試中使用中文的行為，此行為開啟了可無視BC省中醫針灸管理局（CTCMA)而擅自行事的例子。這不僅沒有尊重BC省中醫針灸管理局（CTCMA) ；而且也沒有尊重BC省中醫針灸管理局（CTCMA)的權威性和合法性。

綜上所述，我們請BC省中醫針灸管理局（CTCMA) 慎重對待並合法合理的處理此事件。以保障BC省各族裔民眾利益，促進中醫良性發展，繼續合法的堅持在BC省中醫針灸執業資格考試中實行中英文雙語考試制度。