Canadian code of ethics and the prescription privilege debate

The appearance of the prescription privileges debate in a recent issue of Canadian Psychology presents an opportunity to examine prescription privileges from a Canadian perspective. The principles of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (CCE) were applied to a number of key arguments offered in the debate and were found useful in evaluating their application to the Canadian context. The ethical principles provided direction in examining the full range of prescription privilege issues. The CCE may prove to be a valuable guide in providing a moral framework for the eventual development of Canadian policy on prescription privileges for psychologists.