The CMA appears to be bucking the national trend toward declining interest in election campaigns.
The latest sign is the 6 Ontario physicians seeking to become CMA president for 2004/05, the largest slate in the CMA's 135-year history. Although the vote's outcome was unknown at press time, the election was expected to attract a large number of voters because of unprecedented campaigning by the candidates — Drs. Elliot Halparin, Albert Schumacher, Kenneth Sky, John Tracey, Ronald Wexler and Michael Wyman.
Campaign tools have included advertisements in medical society newsletters, mass emails, at least 2 Web sites, and public endorsements by well-known physicians.
Dr. Marc Baltzan of Saskatoon says it's a far cry from when he and Regina surgeon Murray Fraser faced off for the right to become Saskatchewan's nominee for CMA president in 1982. “Murray was a great guy,” he said, “and basically we just put our names in and left it at that. I happened to win.”
In fact, “elections” that used to see the CMA president-elect named by provincial medical associations have now been placed largely in the hands of the members, who cast ballots by mail. The 12 associations comprising the CMA select the president in rotation, according to the size of their membership. Ontario doctors selected the CMA president for 1999 and 2004; when New Brunswick doctors selected Dr. Dana Hanson as president last year, it was their first choice since 1981.
Toronto surgeon Hugh Scully, who defeated 3 other candidates for the 1999 presidency, is surprised by the number running this time but says the competition is “very healthy.” He also predicted that voter response this year will be much higher than for that election, when less than 20% of ballots were cast, because of the amount of campaigning that was done.
David Balmain, executive director of the New Brunswick Medical Society, said voter turnout wasn't a problem when Hanson was elected. He said 80% of eligible doctors voted and all 3 candidates ran campaigns. “The physicians here took it very seriously.”
Balmain expects that competition will continue to increase because communication technology, particularly email, has made campaigning more affordable.
John Laplume, executive director of the Manitoba Medical Association, said both candidates for CMA president in 2003/04 ran “very active” campaigns that included meetings with doctors across the province. Gimli FP Sunil Patel eventually won the race, defeating Winnipeg anesthetist Ian White; 53% of eligible members voted. Laplume said active campaigns are a good sign. “I'd much rather see it that way than the other.”
Scully said there was only “limited campaigning” in his election, during which he attracted support from specific constituencies. “I was known by the university community and by the specialist community, and since I was the only specialist running, that had to help.”
Baltzan remembers his time as president fondly because the then controversial Canada Health Act was being developed, and he had a chance to spar regularly with federal health minister Monique Bégin. “I was on TV all the time,” he recalls, “and I was still getting calls 5 years after I left.”
As for the current election in Ontario, Baltzan says “it's a good sign when people are fighting for the job. It tells you that they want to get something done.” — Patrick Sullivan, CMAJ