OVERVIEW

With the April 2000 signing of the Mutual Recognition Agreement for the Profession of Pharmacy in Canada, nine Canadian pharmacy regulatory authorities agreed to adopt harmonized initial licensing requirements. The pharmacy regulatory authorities in the Northwest Territories, Quebec and the Yukon were not Signatories to the Agreement.

In October 2003, NAPRA hosted a meeting of Signatories and Non-Signatories to review the current MRA for areas that might require updating and to explore ways to facilitate the Non-Signatories to become part of the Agreement. Participants agreed that the original MRA is still relevant and did not propose any revisions to the Agreement at this time. Participants also reaffirmed their commitment to working towards bringing Non-Signatories into the Agreement and these discussions will be continuing over the next six months. A copy of the October 17, 2003 Pharmacy Mutual Recognition Agreement Workshop is available.

NAPRA's National Model Licensing Program outlines the harmonized core requirements that make up the Mutual Recognition Agreement. The Model Program was created to assist pharmacy licensing bodies in ensuring that candidates for licensure meet NAPRA’s Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacists at Entry-to-Practice.

The National Advisory Committee on Licensing (NACL) makes recommendations to the NAPRA Board of Directors on the maintenance of the Professional Competencies and Model Program, and on other matters related to the initial licensing of pharmacists.

Requirements that pharmacists must meet in order to renew their licences vary across Canada. Aside from the payment of fees, provincial and territorial licensing bodies may require members to complete a specific amount of continuing education or other requirement prior to renewing their licenses to practice.