Federal election: Fighting for health care on the campaign trail

April 25, 2025

The Canadian Medical Association has been hard at work this federal election, making sure health care gets the attention it deserves.

With nearly 50 one-on-one meetings with candidates, countless media interviews and advocacy across Canada, CMA has been fighting for care.

At the CMA Health Summit, which kicked off just as the election campaign began, we called on all federal leaders to make health care a priority — and on voters to hold them accountable for change.

“Now is really the time for all of us to make sure that our federal decision-makers hear what’s important to us. [It’s] incumbent upon us to make sure if someone’s coming to you and asking for your vote, that you’re asking back, ‘How are you going to protect my health care system? How are you going to make it better?” stated CMA President Dr. Joss Reimer.

Over the past month, Dr. Reimer attended major political conferences hosted by the Broadbent Institute, Canada 2020 and the Canada Strong and Free Network. At each event, she emphasized that health is a political issue – but not a partisan one.

The CMA used these opportunities to highlight key election priorities, such as making it easier for doctors trained in other countries to practice in Canada, adopting team-based care and creating a connected health information system.

See the CMA’s full election policy platform

“We need to be looking at solutions like expediting pathways for internationally trained physicians so they can practice quickly and safely here in Canada,” Dr. Reimer said at the Canada Strong and Free Conference, urging leaders to act quickly to capitalize on the U.S. “brain drain.”

Alongside CMA’s Indigenous advisor and past president Dr. Alika Lafontaine, Dr. Reimer advocated for reconciliation in health care at Canada 2020’s “The Indigenous-Led Economy” summit. They called on all political parties to use this federal election campaign to renew and expand their commitments to Indigenous self-determination in health care.

The CMA has also been working with key stakeholders to project a “united voice” in health care. Dr. Reimer participated in a Globe and Mail virtual townhall hosted by health reporter Kelly Grant, alongside panelists Kevin Smith, president and chief executive officer of University Health Network; Tara Kiran, family physician and scientist at Unity Health Toronto; and André Picard, health columnist at The Globe and Mail.

The CMA jointly hosted election events with the Ontario Medical Association, which covered topics that impact doctors across Canada, such as workforce planning and physician burnout, as well as the key role physicians and health professionals can play.

Dr. Jean-Joseph Condé, francophone spokesperson and member of the CMA Board of Directors, hosted an event with candidates and health professionals for the riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou in Québec. Discussions focused on administrative burden, connected care and team-based care.

Beyond this, the CMA hosted events with medical learners and early career physicians on debate nights and supported student campaigns encouraging the vote.

NT5