BC Nurse in Fourth Discipline Hearing for Gender Comments

Amy Hamm, a nurse from Vancouver, B.C., is seen in a file photo. (Courtesy of Amy Hamm/JCCF)

A B.C. nurse is facing a fourth discipline hearing by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) for online comments she made on gender issues.

The BCCNM has accused Amy Hamm of making “discriminatory and derogatory statements regarding transgender people,” while identifying herself as a nurse or nurse educator, the June 28, 2022 citation says.

The statements were “made across various online platforms, including but not limited to podcasts, videos, published writings, and social media,” between July 2018 and March 2021, the College says.

The BCCNM, the largest health profession regulator in Western Canada, says Ms. Hamm’s conduct violated standards and was deemed unprofessional.

The regulatory body had also accused her of making “medically inaccurate” statements, but has since dropped that charge.

An investigation by the BCCNM began in November 2020. Ms. Hamm has already appeared before the panel four times, including in September 2022 and October 2022, as well as in January and October of this year. The hearing is scheduled to continue Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 and Nov. 6 to 8.

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Lisa Bildy, Ms. Hamm’s legal counsel, said the case is an important one for professionals in Canada.

“This is an important case for the freedom of expression of regulated professionals across the country,” Ms. Bildy said.

Regulatory bodies like the BCCNM are “created by statute and are essentially an arm of the state, to which the Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies,” she added.

Regulators are increasingly attempting to control what professionals are permitted to say or believe, particularly when it comes to current social and political issues, she said.

“This will put a chill on debate and discussion outside of only a narrow range of permissible views,” Ms. Bildy said. “An enforced consensus, where professionals who disagree keep silent for fear of losing their livelihoods, cannot be in the public interest. This is especially so in matters of science and public policy, where stifling debate prevents both science and democracy from functioning as intended.”

According to the BCCNM website, Ms. Hamm could face suspension or cancellation of her nursing registration. Decisions can be appealed at the British Columbia Supreme Court.

The Epoch Times reached out to the BCCNM for comment but did not hear back by publication time.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which is paying for Ms. Hamm’s legal representation, says regulatory bodies need to stop pushing ideology.

“The colleges of nurses, colleges of doctors, colleges of psychologists, law societies and other regulators need to stop policing speech and stop abusing their authority by forcing woke ideology on good people like Amy Hamm,” JCCF President John Carpay said in an Oct. 23 release.