Pan-Canadian Essential Regulatory Requirements

Now Available!

COPR is thrilled to announce that the Pan-Canadian Essential Regulatory Requirements (PERRs) documents are now available for downloading, free of charge and in both official languages, below. The PERRs documents include the new Canadian Paramedic Competency Framework (CPCF), the Canadian Paramedic Regulatory Practice Standards (CPRPS) and the Canadian Paramedic Examination and Education Resources for each of the eight competence areas (EERs). Below you will also find resources to help in navigating PERRs.

COPR is committed to objective, ongoing monitoring and updating of PERRs and will continue to maintain a regulatory framework that serves as a benchmark for harmonization of paramedic practice across the country. Doing so supports paramedics in delivering the highest quality of care to individuals and communities. The PERRs project used an evidence-based and systematic process that will now guide future revisions every 5 years, if not sooner for some designations.

PERRs Documents:

• Introduction
• Glossary of Terms
• Canadian Paramedic Examination and Education Resources
• Canadian Paramedic Regulatory Practice Standards
• Canadian Paramedic Competence Framework for the EMR
• Canadian Paramedic Competence Framework for the PCP
• Canadian Paramedic Competence Framework for the ACP
• Canadian Paramedic Competence Framework for the CCP
• What Makes a Competent Paramedic? Poster

COPR’s transition to the new framework will be gradual. We are pleased to announce that a mapping exercise of the NOCP to the new competency framework has been completed and the comparison document is available here. The examination blueprints are targeted for release later in the summer 2024. Click here for a high-level timeline of the examination transition to the new framework.

New Examination Blueprints

With the transition underway to the new Canadian Paramedic Competency Framework (CPCF), an outcome of PERRs, comes new Examination Blueprints. The following Examination Blueprints have been approved by the COPR Board of Directors but do not come into effect until future examinations based on a timeline currently being developed. 

High-level Timeline:

• First EMR Examination testing to the new CPCF: November 2025
• First PCP Examination testing to the new CPCF: Spring 2026
• First ACP Examination testing to the new CPCF: 2027

Background:

The Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators (COPR) is comprised of provincial self-regulating and government regulatory authorities. Embracing their legislated mandates of public protection and their joint responsibility to meet the requirements of the federal Agreement on Internal Trade, on June 16, 2021, the COPR Board of Directors approved the final project charter and funding to develop Pan-Canadian Essential Regulatory Requirements (PERRs).

PERRs will describe the expectations for safe, effective, and ethical performance by paramedics to inform provincial regulatory practice standards and support the use of PERRs by educators, employers, and other key stakeholders. 

Project communications will be posted to this page to assist stakeholders to stay informed. 

PERRs Initial Announcement July 20 2021

PERRs Fact Sheet #1 July 20, 2021

PERRs Fact Sheet #2 November 5, 2021

PERRs Fact Sheet #3 January 31, 2022

PERRs Fact Sheet #4 July 20, 2022

PERRs Fact Sheet #5 December 21, 2022

PERRs Fact Sheet #6 March 29, 2023

PERRs Fact Sheet #7 April 20, 2023

PERRs Project Documents

PERRs Project Charter

Background Paper on Determining the PERRs Model

Committee Membership 

View the Members who sit on our four committees

Committee Terms of Reference

• Essential Requirements Committee (ERC)
• Subject Matter Expert Committee (SMEC)
• Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC)
• Project Steering Committee (PSC)