Witness Testimony

Natasha Gonek, a former investigations officer with Alberta healthcare regulatory colleges, testified regarding the role and mandate of professional regulatory bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic. She explained that regulatory colleges are self-governing, membership-funded entities whose primary legislative mandate is to protect and serve the public interest. She expressed concern that during the pandemic, regulators did not fulfill their oversight role and instead aligned their communications and disciplinary actions with government public health messaging.
She presented examples of billing codes and financial incentive programs implemented in Alberta, including physician billing codes for vaccine-related outreach calls and pharmacy compensation increases for administering COVID-19 vaccines. She described these programs as potential incentives that warranted closer regulatory scrutiny, particularly regarding patient consent, access to medical records, and ethical obligations of healthcare professionals. She also referenced federal funding initiatives intended to increase vaccine uptake among targeted populations.
Gonek further stated that she observed disciplinary processes affecting professionals who raised concerns during the pandemic and questioned whether regulators acted independently in accordance with their public protection mandate. She concluded that independent multidisciplinary investigations and audits may be necessary to assess regulatory conduct, financial flows, and decision-making processes during the pandemic response.