Canadian Medical Association
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA; French: Association médicale canadienne, AMC) is a national, voluntary association of physicians and medical learners that advocates on national health matters. Its primary mandate is to drive positive change in health care by advocating on key health issues facing doctors and their patients.[1]
Established
1867
Advocacy on national health and medical matters
Less than 70,000 physicians and physicians in training
Kathleen Ross (2023-2024)
Joss Reimer (2024-2025)
Alika Lafontaine (2022-2023)
CMA publicates the Canadian Medical Association Journal (often abbreviated as CMAJ) which is a peer-reviewed medical journal that offers original clinical research, commentaries, analyses and reviews of clinical topics, health news, and clinical-practice updates.
Membership[edit]
The CMA has over 75,000 members[2] and is the largest association of medical doctors in Canada. Its membership includes physicians and medical learners. The CMA represents Canadian physicians from medical school through to residency, medical practice and retirement.
History[edit]
The CMA's origins may rest with Dr. Joseph Painchaud and other Quebec physicians who in 1844 hoped to find ways to help physicians and, after their deaths, their widows and orphans.[3] There were false starts in attempts to form an association, but soon after confederation, practicing physicians were successful in developing a national body.
The CMA's first president was Sir Charles Tupper,[4] the Nova Scotia Premier who led that province into confederation and later became Prime Minister of Canada. The foundation of the CMA was strongly rooted in its Scottish origins as the first three presidents of the CMA graduated from the Edinburgh Medical School.[5]
Among the CMA's founding principles in 1867 was to "improve public health and prevent disease and disability," a purpose which remains today.
The CMA Code of Ethics has been around in one form or another since 1868. As recently as 2015 this document was considered by the CMA to be "arguably the most important document produced by the CMA. It has a long and distinguished history of providing ethical guidance to Canada’s physicians. Focus areas include decision-making, consent, privacy, confidentiality, research and physician responsibilities. The code is updated every 5-6 years and has a major revision approximately every 20 years. Changes must be approved by CMA General Council."[6]
The fledgling association faced a lot of growing pains in its first 25 years as meeting attendance was small. There was even a notice of motion in 1894 to disband it.[3]
The Montreal Medical Journal was taken over in 1911 to become the CMA Journal.[3]
In 1921, the CMA re-organized with the appointment of its first permanent general-secretary, Dr. T.C. Routley. The association also became more financially stable by raising funds with a bond issue.[3]
Over the years, the CMA and its physician members have advocated on behalf of patients and educated the public to limit the effects of outbreaks, such as the 1918 Spanish flu, SARS in 2002 and the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009–2010.[7]
In an effort to raise awareness and research treatment of cancer, the organisation formed the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). The association provided most of the funds for the early years of the CCS based on interest generated from public donations made to a fund honoring King George V's silver jubilee.[8]
Since the 1950s, the CMA has advised against tobacco use. It has fought against promotional tobacco marketing and for new laws that curbed smoking and other tobacco consumption among Canadians.
The CMA played an important role in medical assistance in dying (MAID) legislation, calling it one of the most complex and ethically challenging issues facing Canadian physicians. The CMA supports its members in exercising their freedom of conscience - both for those who chose to provide or participate in physician assisted suicide and those who do not.
The CMA also played a central role in the creation of the Registered Retirement Savings Plan in 1957 as a tool to provide its members financial security in retirement.[9] MD Financial Management MD Financial Management was developed in 1969 to provide financial services to physicians and their families. It was sold in 2018 to Scotiabank, the sale including a 10-year collaboration agreement.[10]
In 2018, the CMA ended its membership in the World Medical Association (WMA) to protest the plagiarism found in the speech of the WMA's incoming president.[11][12]
