Which of the following steps is not part of a typical professional disciplinary process in Canada?

The professional disciplinary process is a formal, quasi-judicial procedure designed to address complaints of professional misconduct or incompetence. The typical, legally mandated steps include the investigation of a complaint, the gathering of evidence to support or refute the complaint, and, if warranted, a formal discipline hearing. Reviewing a professional's general professional development activities is not a standard, discrete step in this process. While a lack of continuing competence could be the subject of a complaint, or completing specific development activities could be a sanction, it is not a required procedural step in every case.

A. Gathering evidence is a critical part of the investigation phase to determine if there are grounds to proceed with a formal hearing.

B. A discipline hearing is the formal process where evidence is presented and a decision is made by a discipline committee if the investigation warrants it.

C. Investigating and reviewing the complaint is the initial step taken by the professional association to assess the validity and seriousness of the allegations.

1. Andrews, G. C. (2019). Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics (6th ed.). Chapter 3, pp. 49-51. This chapter outlines the typical enforcement and discipline procedures, describing the path from complaint to investigation to a discipline hearing.

2. The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act (Saskatchewan). Part VI - Discipline, Sections 28-32. This legislation codifies the disciplinary process, detailing the roles of the investigation committee and the discipline committee, and the requirement for a hearing. It does not list a review of professional development as a mandatory step.