(Montreal) The Association of Microbiologists of Quebec (AMQ) and the Association of Biologists of Quebec (ABQ) demand access to a professional order to ensure better protection of the public and prevent the negative consequences of misinformation.
In an open letter entitled “The professional system at the service of the protection of the public against scientific misinformation”, the president of the AMQ, Marc Hamilton, proposes that Quebec microbiologists and biologists join the Ordre des chimistes du Québec (OCQ), thus creating a new scientific group.
Co-signed by Michel Alsayegh, president of the OCQ, and Marie-Christine Bellemare, president of the ABQ, the declaration maintains that these three professions “share an important connection [sur le plan] knowledge and practical environments, particularly in the health sector”. This merger would guarantee access to disciplinary mechanisms linked to title usurpation, which would better protect the public from “certain conspiratorial and pseudoscientific discourse” and provide a framework for the training of future scientists.
“The CAQ government favors marriages of professional orders, because it is much faster and, above all, less costly for the State and for the orders that want to enjoy an existing shell,” explains in an interview Ms. Hamilton.
In discussions with ministerial offices for “several years”, the AMQ and the ABQ aim to obtain the commitment of the Office des professions du Québec (OPQ) to be able to officially submit their candidacy, and hope to be the next to make heard.
“In this mandate, we want the government and the OPQ to commit to starting the process. […] They are very open and interested in listening to us, but we don’t have a date yet,” said Mr. Hamilton, adding that the two associations were ready to initiate legal proceedings.
Limit misinformation
In addition to ensuring their recognition, membership in a professional order would allow microbiologists and biologists to consolidate their communication, popularization and public education efforts.
“During the pandemic, when the vaccines came out, a lot of people called themselves microbiologists and made propaganda, saying, for example, that the vaccine would modify their DNA. […] Without a professional order, it was impossible for us to create sanctions, to prosecute these people or to investigate them,” says Marc Hamilton.
According to a 2021 study by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), approximately 2.35 million Canadians have refused vaccination against COVID-19, resulting in 2,800 deaths and spending at least 300 million on visits to the hospital and intensive care.
“We could have helped the government in spreading the message and intercepting the so-called microbiology experts,” he says. We are not claiming that we could have avoided 2,800 deaths, but we could have helped to avoid gossip and quackery fabrications regarding the use of COVID vaccines or drugs during the worst of the pandemic.”
Mr. Hamilton also deplores the fact that biologists and microbiologists were not considered, during the ministerial decree of 2020, to help with the analysis and collection of COVID-19 tests.
At the height of the pandemic, the government had requested assistance from most professional orders, including acupuncturists, podiatrists, optometrists and midwives, to perform and follow up on screening tests. Due to a lack of professionalism, microbiologists and biologists could not participate in the effort, a decision that left the microbiologist “stunned”.
“We could have been an essential additional help in the middle of the management of the crisis. […] We know the science, we analyze it and we have even developed the methods, but we cannot even participate, if only to give the results of a COVID test, ”adds Marc Hamilton.
The president assures that the associations will continue their discussions with the cabinet of the president of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, in addition to reiterating their request to the OPQ.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.