The Registrar is on site in Wellington, New Zealand, covering key highlights and insights from CLEAR’s 8th International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation.
As regulators rethink how boards can better reflect and serve the public, questions of structure, culture and readiness take centre stage. At CLEAR’s International Congress, Dianne Millette, Registrar and CEO of the College of Health and Care Professionals of British Columbia, and Dr. Margo Greenwood, Public Member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, led a thoughtful discussion on what genuine engagement and inclusion look like for public board members. Their session highlighted not only what boards expect of public members, but also what public members need in order to contribute meaningfully.
Millette opened by sharing insights from a 2023 collaborative study examining the experiences of public board members across Canadian regulatory bodies. She noted that while many public members are motivated by a deep sense of service, they often enter roles without clarity about expectations or support. One participant recalled arriving at their first meeting only to hear, “What are you doing here?” Millette explained that this reflects a broader issue. “There was incredible lack of clarity about the role that public members bring,” she said, adding that few statutes define what the public voice is meant to contribute, even as the number of appointed public members grows.
The study also found that most respondents were between 55 and 74 years old, bringing strong board experience but limited exposure to regulation. Public members reported needing enough knowledge about the profession to make informed decisions while maintaining the independence they were appointed to provide. Millette emphasized how board culture shapes this balance, noting that “the chair can make or break the experience,” particularly for members who already feel uncertain about when and how to speak.
Greenwood expanded the discussion by sharing her lived experience as an Indigenous public member with a long background in Indigenous health and cultural safety. She described the responsibility she feels when contributing to board deliberations.
“There are many ways of knowing and being in the world,” she said. “I bring what I have lived, learned and experienced.”
She reflected on the challenge of navigating unfamiliar regulatory language and moments when her insights were misunderstood, which at times required seeking guidance from trusted colleagues to ensure her perspective was heard as intended.
Greenwood highlighted the value of mentorship, strong orientation processes, and encouraged boards to consider a critical question: Are we ready for the new members who join us?
Millette noted that while the study focused on public members, its insights apply universally. Every board member benefits from clarity, support, and structures that foster safe and meaningful participation. The session reinforced that inclusion must be intentionally built into governance, not assumed to follow from representation alone.
8th International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR)
Congress Presenters: Dianne Millette, Registrar and CEO of the College of Health and Care Professionals of British Columbia, and Dr. Margo Greenwood, Public Member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
