From the Margins to Recognition: The History of Acupuncture in Québec and Montréal

IN 30 SECONDS In Québec, acupuncture has moved from the margins to a fully recognized profession. Introduced in Montréal in the 1960s by practitioners trained in France, it was regulated by an Acupuncture Act as early as 1985, and by the Ordre des acupuncteurs du Québec from 1995, with a regulated college-level training program — a mark of seriousness and safety for patients.

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Here is a medicine that nearly vanished in its own country. Early in the twentieth century, a modernizing China was turning away from its needles; it was in France, oddly enough, that part of this knowledge was kept alive and passed on. From there, in the 1960s, it crossed the Atlantic to Montréal — at first on the margins, sometimes prosecuted, before climbing, decade by decade, every rung of recognition. Québec's history of acupuncture is that ascent.

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The early days in Montréal (1960s–1970s)

Acupuncture began to gain a following in Montréal in the 1960s — at a time when, after a long period of marginalization in its country of origin earlier in the 20th century, Traditional Chinese Medicine was being preserved and spread in the West largely through France. The close ties between Québec and France made it easier for France-trained acupuncturists to settle in Montréal. They went on to start local training, helping the practice spread despite opposition from the Collège des médecins du Québec, which prosecuted these pioneers for the "illegal practice of medicine."

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Legal recognition: from the 1985 Act to the Order (1995)

Recognition came in two stages. A first Acupuncture Act, in 1985, made the practice a reserved, regulated activity. Then, in 1995, the creation of the Ordre des acupuncteurs du Québec (OAQ) entrusted a professional order with protecting the public and defining the scope of practice — the culmination of a slow road to official status.

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Rigorous, regulated training

Acupuncturists in Québec are generally well trained, through regulated programs that cover many aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine — dietetics, pharmacopoeia, exercise (Qi Gong) and massage (Tuina). The acupuncture program at Collège de Rosemont is a notable example, preparing students to join the Ordre des acupuncteurs du Québec, which regulates the practice province-wide.

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Integration into the health system

Acupuncture's integration into Québec's health system has also been marked by partnerships with hospitals for students' clinical placements — a sign of growing openness to the practice within conventional medicine.

The history of acupuncture in Québec is thus one of a gradual rise in legitimacy and integration, despite a controversial start and a struggle for official recognition. It reflects both the evolution of attitudes toward complementary medicine and the important role of immigration and cultural exchange in how medical practices develop in the province.

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Looking for a member of the Order in the Plateau?

Today, choosing an OAQ member is your assurance of recognized training and a safe practice. See how to find a quality acupuncturist. A first session lasts 1 h 30; follow-ups, 70 minutes.

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Book your consultation online → monacupuncteur.janeapp.com

In the Plateau-Mont-Royal, open 7 days a week. OAQ and OPPQ members, insurance receipts issued on site.