In her inaugural address at the CMA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Aug. 16, incoming president Dr. Kathleen Ross recognized the many challenges facing Canadian health while underscoring the power that physicians have to drive change at the time when it’s needed most.
As a family physician, she’s seen the growing hurdles in the system that are preventing physicians from delivering optimal care, consuming their time and sapping much of their energy and joy of practice. “It has become increasingly difficult to stand up for a system that’s falling down around us,” she said.
But, touching on her local volunteering and global humanitarian work, Dr. Ross highlighted the importance of getting involved as both an antidote to burnout and to help transform health care. “Your voice, your leadership matter more now than ever before,” she said. “Small individual actions, life-altering impacts.”
Looking ahead to her term, she called on members to join her in pressing for change to benefit physicians and patients, including reducing administrative burdens, improving team-based care, streamlining licensure and addressing burnout.
“At this critical juncture, the ability of Canadian physicians to guide and lead health system change today will impact the health and wellness of Canadians for many generations to come,” she said.
Manitoba physician Dr. Joss Reimer ratified as president-elect
Dr. Reimer, currently the chief medical officer for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, will serve as president-elect until she’s installed as president at the 2024 AGM on May 29.
A strong advocate for wellness, Dr. Reimer’s goal is for physicians to have the necessary resources, support, respect and autonomy to thrive and find joy in their work.
“I want to help create a health care system that allows physicians to provide better care that’s safe, accessible, effective and equitable,” she said in her campaign, “[and] I want that care to be provided in collaborative teams that are diverse, engaged, passionate and valued.”
Owing to a change in the date of the AGM from August to May in 2024, the presidential terms of Drs. Ross and Reimer will overlap by three months. They will each serve for nine months exclusively as president and for three months as co-presidents for the period of May to August 2024.
CMA leadership highlights progress on Impact 2040 strategy, continued work alongside physicians
Members provided input and posed questions to leadership on the actions being taken to address the primary care crisis, enhance health human resource planning, expand health care teams and explore health technology, including artificial intelligence, among other priorities.
Discover how our Impact 2040 strategy is driving change: Read our annual report
Outgoing president Dr. Alika Lafontaine underscored the CMA’s commitment to drive change to benefit the profession and its continued call to governments at all levels to collaborate on shared health challenges, alongside physicians, provincial/territorial medical associations and national health stakeholders.
Board chair Dr. Suzanne Strasberg and CEO Tim Smith also shared upcoming opportunities for physicians to inform the CMA’s work, including consultations on public and private care, the Canadian Conference on Physician Health and the Annual Symposium of Physician Leaders of Quebec.
Evolving how we work: Ongoing governance review
As part of the Governance Committee report, members were invited to learn more about and weigh in on a review of CMA governance, including who’s entitled to vote for CMA president-elect and the role of the CMA past president as chair of the Nominations Committee.
Members who are interested in providing ongoing feedback on CMA governance are asked to email [email protected].