Canadian Medical Association
Abbreviation	CMA
Formation	1867
Type	Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage
Legal status	active
Purpose/focus	advocate and public voice, educator and network
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Region served	Canada
Membership	70,000 doctors
Official languages	English, French
Website	CMA

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA), with more than 70,000 members, is the largest association of doctors in Canada and works to represent their interests nationally. It formed in 1867, three months after Confederation. The CMA is a Canadian civilian organization with the Royal Patronage of Queen Elizabeth II.

The CMA publishes the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and through accreditation of educational programs works to ensure national standards in health care.

The CMA was also the driving force behind the creation of the Registered Retirement Savings Plan in 1957. Today, its financial arm, MD Management, administers more than $21 billion for CMA members and their families. It is the only professional association in the world to have enjoyed such success. The CMA also owns and operates a profit-making business called Practice Solutions, created in 2005 and claiming to offer end-to-end technology and practice management services to its members.

It claims to represent the interests of patients nationally and actively lobbies the Canadian government on public health issues.^[1]

In the past, the CMA strongly supported the current single payer health care system. But, this recently changed with the CMA's support of private health insurance, following the recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling on Chaoulli and Quebec.^[2]

Contents 1 Awareness campaigns 2 See also 2.1 Provincial medical associations 3 External links 4 References

[edit] Awareness campaigns

In 2008, CMA launched an advocacy campaign to put Canada's doctor shortage on the federal political agenda. The campaign, which claimed that over 5 million Canadians had no access to a family doctor and that Canada needed 26,000 more physicians to meet the average in most other industrialized countries^[3], was designed by Ottawa creative agency McMillan integrated marketing.

[edit] See also

• Canadian Medical Protective Association
• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage

[edit] Provincial medical associations

• Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association (NLMA)
• Ontario Medical Association

[edit] External links

• Canadian Medical Association
• About the Canadian Medical Association
• Canadian Medical Association Journal
• MD Management - The CMA's investment and insurance company.
• mydoctor.ca Health Portal
• [1]

[edit] References

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