CPSA statement on Dr. Michael Laffin & Dr. Phil Tran social media posts

The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) is saddened to hear that discriminatory and harmful screenshots from 2021 have been recirculating online from fraudulent accounts that were created in the names of two Alberta physicians, Dr. Michael Laffin and Dr. Phil Tran. We first learned of these posts in 2021 when Dr. Laffin and Dr. Tran reached out to CPSA indicating they were fake. CPSA subsequently put out a statement on March 5, 2021.

Following the original posts, CPSA received a formal complaint against Dr. Laffin. Under privacy legislation, CPSA is not typically allowed to share the findings of a complaint investigation unless it has gone to a hearing. Given the public impact and fraudulent nature of the comments, CPSA received a request and permission from Dr. Laffin to share that the complaint was dismissed as the evidence showed the account did not belong to Dr. Laffin and he had immediately taken all steps possible to report the account and have it removed.

It’s disheartening to see these comments resurface as racism and discrimination have no place in health care. The comments seen on the screenshots are deeply disturbing and harmful to Indigenous peoples.

We recognize some people may need support after seeing statements like these. Some resources that have been shared with us include:

• The Indian Residential School Crisis line: 1-866-925-4419
• Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310 (or chat online at hopeforwellness.ca)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 9-8-8 (toll-free)