MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
After extensive review and discussion,
changes proposed by our Council have been
submitted to government. We anticipate that
the Board – as it will likely be called – may
be smaller. And separation of the commit-
tee work of the CPSO from the Board will
almost certainly follow. The Board will be
populated by at least equal numbers of public
members and physicians. These are principles
which align with good governance practices of
not-for-profit organizations and are designed
to free the Board to concentrate
on the work of governance.
An issue of much discussion
is how physicians should be
selected for Council. For 150
These are
years, they have been elected by
principles which
their peers. There is something
reassuring about democracy, but
align with good
in fact, physicians like myself
governance
are elected to Council, not to
practices
represent the physicians who
vote for them, but to repre-
sent the public on the profes-
sion’s behalf. This nuance is lost on much
of the profession and on the public as well.
Council, after extensive discussion, is recom-
mending a hybrid model of recruitment, i.e.,
some appointed members and some elected
members. Council believes that elections are
crucial in order to maintain the connection
with our members, whose fees fund the work
of the College. Some regulatory colleges have
agreed with our position, but others believe
that the UK model, which is entirely made up
of appointees, is preferable.
The government will ultimately decide our
model of governance and changes will require
major revisions to the Regulated Health Profes-
sions Act and the Medicine Act. The College
6
DIALOGUE ISSUE 4, 2018
will work to ensure any changes are informed
by College expertise and the recommenda-
tions we developed to enhance the College’s
governance structure.
No matter what the final structure, physi-
cians will continue to provide leadership in
medical regulation. The voices of practising
physicians voice are essential in order to bring
the perspective of day to day medical practice
to issues considered by the Board. Physician
input will continue to be crucial to the con-
tinued delivery of high quality medical care to
the patients of Ontario.
The development of a new strategic plan is
now underway and once completed, it will
chart the course for the future of the CPSO.
To craft this plan, Council has sought feed-
back from the public, physicians, and our
many partners. It is of significant importance
that we hear physicians’ opinion, and I was
very pleased to see that there is indeed strong
physician interest. We received thousands
of physician responses to our survey within
48 hours of its release, which speaks to the
importance our members place on the work
we do.
I will close by noting that my experiences of
the past nine years have only strengthened my
commitment to medical regulation and con-
firmed for me the absolute necessity of physi-
cian participation. I may be moving away from
Council, but I will continue to follow the work
of our College, and to provide input wherever
possible. I hope you will join me.
MD