The CMA president serves as the primary spokesperson for the association.
Presidential duties
The CMA president-elect serves a three-year presidential term as a member of the CMA Board of Directors, holding the following three positions: president-elect, president, and immediate past president.
In the first year, the CMA president-elect assists the CMA president in performing presidential duties. They are provided media training and orientation about the CMA and the issues facing the association. The expected time commitment during the year as president-elect is a 40% full-time equivalent.
In the second year, the CMA president is the senior elected officer and the primary spokesperson of the association on national policy and advocacy matters that have been identified by the Board. The CMA president represents the CMA at the annual meetings of various provincial/territorial medical associations, and to parliamentary committees and stakeholder organizations. The year as CMA president is effectively a full-time commitment.
Presidential duties are shared with the CMA president-elect and past president to:
- allow for representation at more than one event when there is a scheduling conflict;
- ensure that the person with the most expertise on a given issue is speaking on behalf of the CMA;
- ensure that a person with the appropriate language capacity is speaking on a given issue; and
- provide the CMA president-elect with opportunities to develop and hone skills before assuming the presidency.
In the third and last year of the presidential term, the CMA past president serves on the Human Resources and Compensation Committee and, under the current bylaws, as chair of the Nominations Committee. They also present the Nominations Committee Report at the Annual General Meeting. The expected time commitment during the year as immediate past president is a 40% full-time equivalent.
The CMA president, CMA president-elect and CMA past president are each remunerated through an annual retainer and are compensated for travel expenses when on official CMA business. This is to enable practicing physicians to take time away from their practices.
Presidential annual retainer amounts are provided to candidates on a confidential basis once the candidates have been confirmed.