On the heels of its inaugural two-day Health Summit, the CMA hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and General Council (GC) in Winnipeg on August 22. Here are some of the highlights.
Board size to be reduced
CMA members at the AGM voted to reduce the size of the CMA Board of Directors to 19. Under these new bylaws, there will be:
- one seat for each province and territory (except Nunavut);
- one seat each for a student, a resident, the president, the president-elect, the immediate past president and the chair and;
- one seat for a non-physician to bring the patient perspective to the board’s deliberations.
Transition to this new board size will be complete by summer 2020, as existing board members finish their terms.
GC will continue to be held annually
Members decided to continue GC as an annual opportunity to discuss policy. Members also have several new ways to shape CMA policy and advocacy throughout the year, such as member proposals, communities of interest, upcoming member forums and the Health Summit.
Elections process
Members voted to maintain the ratification of certain positions by GC delegates as part of the election process. The positions are president-elect, certain committee members (e.g. Committee on Ethics) and the CMA board, except for the non-physician member. There was also a call for increased diversity among these positions – moving forward, the nominations committee will be highlighting criteria around diversity in their call for expressions of interest and review process.
In addition, Dr. Gigi Osler was confirmed as CMA president at the meeting; in her inaugural address, she highlighted the themes of physician health, diversity and advocacy. Dr. Sandy Buchman was also confirmed as the new president-elect.
Discussion on a new Code of Ethics
Members at GC also had the opportunity to discuss the revised code of ethics and medical professionalism. The goal of the session was to seek further input from members with a view to finalizing a new Code of Ethics and Professionalism in December 2018 – the Code’s 150th anniversary. For more information on how to provide your own feedback on the draft code, please visit the ethics and professional affairs page on cma.ca.