The members of the Corporation des thanatologues du Québec (C.T.Q.) and the funeral homes they represent have all made a commitment to respect the Code of Ethics.

Following is the section of the Code of Ethics relating to the commitments to the public. In addition to this section, the Code of Ethics contains a section on commitments to other members and a section on commitments to the C.T.Q. These sections are available upon request from the general secretariat of the C.T.Q.

Bylaw respecting the Code of Ethics
Corporation des thanatologues du Québec

WHEREAS the Corporation des thanatologues du Québec was created to safeguard the rights and professional principles of the funeral director and to provide the population of Quebec with competent, conscious and experienced professionals;

WHEREAS the services of a funeral director are required at difficult times of life, be it the planning of a funeral or the pre-arrangement of funeral services, and that in either case the member must demonstrate a high sense of ethics;

WHEREAS the Corporation des thanatologues du Québec holds as its most fundamental value the respect of human beings and their dignity and the obligation of its members to provide high-quality funeral services that reflect empathy for the bereaved;

WHEREAS the Corporation was also founded to assist the economic, moral, professional, scientific and social advancement of funeral directors;

WHEREAS the Corporation has, among its goals, the right to define the duties attached to the profession of funeral director;

IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED TO APPROVE THIS CODE OF ETHICS

Declaration: These bylaws establish relations of a contractual nature between the Corporation and its members;

1. A member shall take all necessary measures to ensure that any person working under the member’s supervision respects the provisions of this Code of Ethics. The member is responsible for any act contravening the Code of Ethics committed by a person under his/her supervision;

2. A member shall not permit another person to commit in his/her name acts that, if committed by the member him/ herself, would contravene these bylaws;

3. Respecting the public, the member undertakes to:

1. Inform and give honest advice on the choice of goods and services available to the consumer, including costs, in accordance with the consumer’s wishes and financial capacity, and to describe clearly in a written contract the goods and services chosen;
   
   
2. Charge fair and reasonable fees. The member shall notably take into account the following factors when setting fees:
   
   
   • The time devoted to the performance of the professional service;
     
     
   • The complexity and importance of the service;
     
     
   • The provision of unusual services or that require exceptional competence or faster-than-normal delivery;
     
     
3. Respect the religious beliefs, as well as the rites and customs of all religions to the extent permitted by the law, the public order and morality;
   
   
4. Respect the integrity, intimacy and dignity of the deceased and maintain a high standard of hygiene and sanitation;
   
   
5. Not to divulge confidential information revealed to the member while carrying out his/her duties, except as authorized by the person who made the confidence, or as dictated by an express provisioisn of the law;
   
   
6. Not to use confidential information to the prejudice of a client or to obtain, directly or indirectly, any advantage for himself or any other person without the prior notification and consent of the client;
   
   
7. Respect all laws and regulations governing the funeral industry, including any decree or voluntary commitment adopted or signed in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, and promote their enforcement;
   
   
8. Maintain high standards of professionalism and encourage scientific and academic research;
   
   
9. Abstain from any form of undue solicitation or that goes against current legislation;
   
   
   For purposes hereof, shall constitute undue solicitation:
   
   any method of solicitation or advertising that undermines the dignity of the profession, notably any repeated solicitation that seeks to pressure the consumer in the given context;
   
   any solicitation of persons in hospitals, nursing homes or similar institutions, or any solicitation of a dying person or of the person’s family, or of the family of a deceased person within forty-eight (48) hours of the person’s death;
   
   
10. Respect the C.T.Q. bylaws on advertising;
    
    
11. Retain the services of a qualified embalmer with a current embalming license to perform embalmings;
    
    
12. Abstain from intervening in the personal affairs of a client in matters that are outside of the member’s purview, without forewarning the client.
    
    
13. Not press a client not to consult another competent person who is authorized to render a service;
    
    
14. Fulfil his/her professional obligations with integrity, objectivity, impartiality, and all due care, in accordance with the accepted rules of practice;
    
    
15. Refrain from producing or helping to prepare letters, declarations, or applications for benefits, knowing that such documents are false or fraudulent or will be used with malicious intent.
    
    
16. Take reasonable care of the property of a client entrusted to his/her safekeeping.
    
    
17. Demonstrate due diligence and earnestness in the practice of his/her profession;
    
    
18. Not to stop acting on behalf of a client, except on just and reasonable grounds and following notice in this regard. Shall notably constitute just and reasonable grounds:
    
    
    • Loss of client confidence;
      
      
    • Incitement by the client to commit illegal, unjust or fraudulent acts;

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