Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct
Revised and Approved on February 15, 2019
To establish and maintain public confidence in the professionalism, honesty, ability and integrity of the professional speaker is fundamental to the success of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, its members, and the profession of speaking.
To this end, members of the Association have adopted and, as a condition of membership, subscribe to this Code of Professional Ethics. By doing so, the members give notice they recognize the vital need to preserve, encourage and support fair and equitable practices among all who are engaged in the profession of speaking.
Violations of this Code shall be determined in accordance with the bylaws, policies and procedures of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Disciplinary actions shall be instituted by CAPS in accordance with Bylaws and Rules and Regulations established by the Association. Any such disciplinary action shall be final and binding upon the CAPS member and without recourse to the Association, its officers, members or staff.
Article 1. Representation
The CAPS member shall accurately represent qualifications and experience in all oral and written communications. The CAPS member shall not exaggerate their qualifications or experience. Promotional materials in any format must include descriptions that are based in truth and fact; statements of accomplishment that include rankings, status, or certifications; may be required to be substantiated if challenged.
Article 2. Professionalism
The CAPS member shall conduct his/her business in a professional manner and will not use language or materials that would be offensive to others or discredit the speaking profession. Investigations/findings/sanctions by any other professional or regulatory body outside of CAPS must be reported to the CAPS Ethics Committee.
Article 3. Intellectual Property
The CAPS member shall not use the intellectual property of another unless granted written permission by the originator and/or owner of the material, save and except for where the fair usage of material applies under copyright laws.
Article 4. Professional Courtesy
The CAPS member shall treat other professional colleagues with the highest standards of professional courtesy, dignity and respect.
Article 5. Confidentiality
The CAPS member shall maintain and respect the confidentiality of all business or personal affairs of clients, agents and other speakers.
Article 6. Unfair Practices
The CAPS member shall be vigilant against fraud or unfair practices and shall endeavour to eliminate from the speaking profession all practices that might bring discredit to the profession. Members have a duty to report any violation of this code to the Ethics Committee; this includes situations that both they, or another member, are involved in where the issue cannot be reasonably resolved with one’s own influence.
Article 7. Marketplace Access
The CAPS member shall not participate in any agreement to unfairly limit or restrain the access of others to the marketplace, in accordance with the rights and freedoms guaranteed by Canadian law.
Article 8. Civic Duty
The CAPS member shall obey and adhere to Canadian Law, Provincial Law, and those of the country in which they speak.
Members of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers are dedicated individuals sincerely concerned with the interests of all who come in contact with the profession.
To this end, CAPS members subscribe to this Professional Pledge:
- I pledge myself to honesty and to honour my commitments; to continuously advance my professional expertise to ensure service to my clients shall always be maintained at the highest possible level.
- I pledge myself to seek and maintain an equitable, honourable and cooperative association with fellow members of the Association, its partners, and with all others who may become a part of my business and professional life.
- I pledge myself to comply with the standards of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers as set forth in its Bylaw, Policies and Procedures and this Code of Professional Ethics.
If matters involving unethical behaviour arise, we offer a formal ethics complaint process. All ethical cases are taken seriously and are investigated by the Ethics Committee on behalf of the CAPS Board of Directors. The Ethics Committee is authorized to resolve and end all ethics cases brought to the Association and to order disciplinary or remedial actions.
View the procedures that apply for processing a possible CAPS ethics violation