Election season is still upon us!

It may seem early to start talking about the 2019 CPSA Council Election, but it’s coming sooner than people realize. In fact, this year we will be putting out the call for nominations earlier than in previous years. That is why our Council President, Dr. John Bradley, and I are reaching out to you now about this year’s Council Election, what it means for our profession and why we want you to consider running for a position.

The privilege of profession-led regulation

One of the core components of being in the medical profession is the privilege to self-regulate. However, professional self-regulation is not solely the responsibility of CPSA staff working in Edmonton; it is the responsibility of every physician in Alberta. Having a permit to practise medicine in Alberta is a privilege. With this privilege come significant responsibilities, not only to maintain the high degree of professionalism earned by those who came before us, but even more importantly, to uphold the trust the public has in their physicians. Every member of the profession must strive to ensure all Albertans receive safe, high-quality health care and being a member of the CPSA Council is an excellent way of influencing that ideal.

We’re at a pivotal time in medicine. We are experiencing a much greater integration of machine learning and big data analytics. We’re facing higher public expectations of both the healthcare system and the medical profession. Lastly, but certainly not least, we are seeing a growth in medical knowledge that far exceeds what doctors can keep up with. Being on Council gives you the opportunity to play an important role in defining how medical regulation evolves over the next few years.

One of the key requirements of good governance is excellence in decision-making. For CPSA, this means we need diverse opinions from people who represent our diverse profession in Alberta. You do not need an MBA or decades of experience in leadership to contribute to Council. Ultimately, we need doctors who can provide us with the front-line truth of what it’s like to practise medicine in Alberta and have a desire to improve the care provided to all Albertans.

We’re here for our patients

Being on Council is not about looking after doctors; it is about serving in the best interest of Albertans. If you have a desire to run for Council to look after the needs of physicians, this is not the role for you. CPSA’s mandate is, first and foremost, to protect the public. Therefore, sitting on Council means you get to play an important role in ensuring CPSA continues to meet its mandate.

We must always be fair and understand the complexities of practice-providing intervention and discipline when warranted; however, if we put the best interests of the profession over the public, we can assure you that we will see an end to profession-led medical regulation in Alberta.

Our hope is to have more people run for a position on Council than ever before, and that all those running represent the diverse makeup of the profession and are dedicated to CPSA’s mandate of protecting the public. We also want to see the highest percentage yet of members voting.

If you have any questions or are interested in running for Council, please feel free to reach out to us directly.

Sincerely,

Dr. John Bradley, MD                     Dr. Scott McLeod
CPSA Council President                 CPSA Registrar