The Ontario College Quality Assurance Service (OCQAS) adheres to defined ethical and professional principles supported by formal policies and procedures that ensure integrity across its governance, operations, and quality assurance activities.

The OCQAS staff are employed under Colleges Ontario Human Resources Policies, which establish standards of professional conduct, employee rights and responsibilities, conflict of interest expectations, and ethical behaviour applicable to all staff. These policies include an Employee Code of Conduct (p.15-16) and explicit provisions addressing conflict of interest and professional behaviour, providing a formal ethical framework for the OCQAS’ operations.

The OCQAS has adopted and implements a formal Conflict of Interest Policy 07 that applies to Management Board members, staff, those conducting audits, and others involved in the work of the Service. The policy defines actual, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest and establishes disclosure and management requirements. Consistent with this policy, every Management Board meeting agenda (Minutes of Meeting Oct 3 2023, Minutes of Meeting Oct 3 2024, Minutes of Meeting Sept 26 2025) includes a standing item for declaration of conflicts of interest, reinforcing ethical oversight at the governance level.

In addition, auditors and others engaged in quality assurance activities are required to comply with professional and ethical expectations:

CQAAP Guidelines and Framework, p.19

“Audit panel members are expected to conduct themselves professionally throughout the entire audit process. The following guidelines are expected to be followed:

• • Perform work with integrity (honesty, diligence, responsibility).
  • Perform work impartially.
  • Ensure fair presentation (report truthfully, openly, and accurately using evidence-based audit findings).
  • Exercise due diligence and professional care.
  • Exercise discretion, confidentiality and proper handling of information acquired during the audit process.
  • Ask carefully planned audit questions related to the standards.
  • Act in a manner that is free from bias and conflict of interest.
  • Communicate diplomatically, objectively and timely.
  • Maintain open communication channels.”

 In addition, the signing of mandatory Confidentiality Agreements, sets out obligations regarding impartiality, objectivity, and the handling of confidential information (Example Auditor Confirmation of Commitment). Mandatory training for auditors and review participants also includes a component on professional conduct, ethical responsibilities, and expectations related to impartiality and confidentiality when participating in quality assurance activities.

The Management Board’s responsibilities and behaviours are covered in the Management Board Roles and Responsibilities Policy 06.

Together, these policies, agreements, and training requirements ensure that integrity and ethical conduct are embedded across the OCQAS’ governance, staffing, and external quality assurance activities.

The OCQAS publishes and makes easily accessible the key policies and procedures underpinning its operations through its public website (These include governance policies and the frameworks and guidelines for its quality assurance processes, including the Credential Validation Service (CVS) and the College Quality Assurance Audit Process (CQAAP).