Starting today, members of the Alberta Medical Association will have the opportunity to vote for the next Canadian Medical Association (CMA) president for 2022–23.
Five Alberta candidates are in the running:
- Dr. Vishal Bhella
- Dr. Michael Giuffre
- Dr. Noel Grisdale
- Dr. Alika Lafontaine
- Dr. James Makokis
Visit the CMA elections page to learn more about their backgrounds and priority areas, and to watch them respond to CMA members’ questions about female leadership in medicine, private health care services and the health of urban Indigenous people.
While the CMA is proud to have a culturally diverse set of candidates — including two who have self-identified as Indigenous — the association is working to eliminate barriers that contribute to the absence of women candidates. These include:
- a new geographic rotation for selecting the president-elect to help potential candidates plan well in advance;
- a commitment from three women CMA presidents – all elected in the past five years – to mentor, coach and support women colleagues as potential candidates; and
- a review of the association’s nomination and election process to further promote the involvement of women and candidates from diverse background in leadership positions at the CMA.
Voting for the president-elect nominee closes on Feb. 25. The CMA will share election results on Feb. 26 once all eligible Alberta physicians have cast their vote.
Apr. 1 is the deadline for an alternate nomination route. The final step is a ratification vote at the CMA AGM/General Council Elections, scheduled for Aug. 22, 2021 (virtually).
Learn more about the CMA’s election principles and guidelines at cma.ca.