Canadian Medical Association

Reykjavík, Iceland – October 6, 2018 – Today, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) resigned as a member of the World Medical Association (WMA), taking a stand against a serious ethical breach by incoming President, Dr. Leonid Eidelman.

Following Dr. Eidelman's inaugural speech, it was discovered that part of his remarks were plagiarized word for word from those of Dr. Chris Simpson's inaugural presidential address in 2014. Multiple other parts of the speech were also copied from various websites, blogs and news articles, without appropriate attribution to the authors. 

As the motion requesting Dr. Eidelman's resignation as WMA president was denied, CMA officials determined that they could no longer lend their support, and that the CMA would seek other ways to contribute to the global health discussions.

​"As an organization that holds itself as the arbiter of medical ethics at the global level, the WMA has failed to uphold its own standards, says Dr. Gigi Osler, CMA President. The CMA cannot, in all good conscience, continue to be a member of such an organization. We will now turn our attention and energy to other ways we can participate in important international initiatives."

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