Canadian Medical Association

Canadian Medical Association

Established	1867
Type	Professional association
Purpose	Advocacy on national health and medical matters
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Region served	Canada
Official language	English, French
President	Dr. Margot Burnell (2025-2026)
President-Elect	Dr. Bolu Ogunyemi (2026-2027)
Past-President	Dr. Joss Reimer (2024-2025)
CEO	Alex Munter
Website	www.cma.ca

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.

CMA publishes 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.

Vision

As outlined in its most recent strategic planning document – Impact 2040 – the vision of the CMA is for “a vibrant profession and a healthy population”.

Impact 2040 also states that the CMA “unites the medical profession at the national level. Our focus is on creating strong and accessible health systems, fostering well-being and diversity in medical culture, and ensuring every person in Canada has equal opportunity to be healthy.” ^[1]

Membership

The CMA represents Canadian physicians from medical school through to residency, medical practice and retirement. It partners with provincial and territorial medical associations, and other national organizations on key priorities in health care. At its 2025 AGM, the CMA reported on its high level of engagement with physicians, including 72,000 readers of CMAJ.^[2] With a focus on formalizing this high level of engagement, the CMA is introducing changes to simplify categories of membership in order to reduce the administrative burden of applying for membership.^[2]

History

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 initial meeting of the Canadian Medical Association was held in Quebec City on October 9–11, 1867, at the invitation of the Quebec Medical Society and with leadership from Dr. William Marsden.^[4][5] This meeting had 164 physicians in attendance and a focus on medical education and licensure.^[6]

The CMA's first president was Sir Charles Tupper,^[7] 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.^[8]

The CMA Code of Ethics and Professionalism has existed 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. The Code is reviewed and updated periodically with the most recent revision being undertaken in 2025 at the direction of the CMA Board.^[9]

Iin its first 25 years, meeting attendance was small. There was a notice of motion in 1894 to disband it and in 1921, the association faced insolvency.^[10]

The Montreal Medical Journal was taken over in 1911 to become the CMA Journal.^[3]

The CMA has served as the fulcrum for the creation of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Medical Protective Association, and the Medical Council of Canada.^{[11][12][13][14]}

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.^[15]

In an effort to raise awareness and research treatment of cancer, the organization helped form 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 honouring King George V’s silver jubilee.^[16]

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.^[17]

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.^[18] MD Financial Management was developed in 1969 to provide financial services to physicians and their families. It was sold in 2018 to Scotiabank for $2.6 billion, the sale including a 10-year collaboration agreement.^[19]While the sale provided the CMA with financial security and allowed it to lower membership fees for members, some were critical of the sale.

On September 18, 2024, the CMA issued a formal apology for its role and the role of the medical profession in past and ongoing harms to First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in the Canadian health system.^[20]

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.^[21][22]

Advocacy

As a national association of physicians and medical learners, the CMA advocates on key health issues that matter to Canadians and its members at both the federal and provincial or territorial levels. In developing its positions, it seeks input through town hall meetings, member surveys and reviews of relevant scientific research. It also collaborates with provincial and territorial medical associations and with more than 60 affiliate, associate and stakeholder organizations.^{[23][24][25][26]}

The CMA has lobbied at the federal level on the following issues, among others:

• The creation of a national Chief Health Accountability Officer.
• Providing CMA’s perspective on Budget 2024, particularly as it relates to the impact of capital gain taxation changes on physicians.
• Advocating for an integrated national Health Human Resources Strategy.
• Providing CMA’s perspective on the impacts of medical misinformation and disinformation
• Advocating for sustainable health systems in Canada, including reaching net-zero emissions by 2050
• Pan Canadian Licensure: Advocating for the ability for physicians with full licences to practise independently without restrictions.^[27][28]

The CMA has advocated on a number of public health issues. For example, 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.^[29]

Physician health and wellness

Physician health and wellness has long been a key priority of the CMA. In 2018, a national snapshot report released by the CMA showed that while physicians report high resiliency, they also experience high levels of burnout and depression, particularly residents and women. nTo help respond to this growing issue, the CMA Dr. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie in 2019 to lead this work.

Recognizing the administrative burden of excessive paperwork as a factor leading to high levels of dissatisfaction and burnout among physicians, the CMA has made addressing this a strategic priority.

Provincial and territorial medical associations

• Doctors of BC
• Alberta Medical Association
• Saskatchewan Medical Association
• Doctors Manitoba
• Ontario Medical Association
• New Brunswick Medical Society
• Doctors Nova Scotia
• Medical Society of PEI
• Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association
• Northwest Territories Medical Association
• Yukon Medical Association

Corporate structure

The size of the elected board of directors is 19. The board includes physician, resident and student representatives as well as a lay representative. It is the executive authority of the CMA, meets four times a year and is responsible for policy direction.^[45]

In 2018, the association launched the CMA Patient Voice, a group of 12 individuals that provide a patient’s perspective to the CMA’s work.^[46]

A public annual general meeting is held each year to review financial statements and other CMA business matters.^[47]

Companies

The CMA's subsidiary company, Joule, was created on Sept. 1, 2014. It delivers continuing education to doctors, resources for accessing medical information online, clinical information resources and summaries of the latest clinical evidence. CMAJ is published by Joule. Joule's grant program funds CMA member innovations that potentially may assist in healthcare advancements.^[48]

CMA Impact Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the CMA. The CMA Impact board is responsible for overseeing its business and operations in alignment with the CMA’s strategy.^[49]

The CMA Foundation provides impactful charitable giving to registered Canadian charities that further excellence in health care and support Canadian physicians and medical learners.^[50]

See also

• Canadian Medical Association Journal
• Canadian Medical Protective Association
• James Thorburn: President, CMA, 1895
• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canadian Medical Association.

• Official website
• Works by Canadian Medical Association at Faded Page (Canada)