Election town hall: The importance of a ‘united voice’ in health care

Press Release

April 11, 2025

With the federal election fast approaching, both politicians and voters are focusing on economic turmoil — but the urgent implications for health care have been largely absent from the conversation.

“It makes sense the economy is front of mind, but the economy and health are deeply interlinked,” said Canadian Medical Association (CMA) President Dr. Joss Reimer.

Her remarks were part of a virtual town hall on April 8.

Hosted by Dr. Dominik Nowak, the president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), the event covered topics from workforce planning and physician burnout to improving access to care in rural and remote communities — issues that impact doctors across Canada.

Dr. Nowak acknowledged the effect of the U.S.-Canada trade war on physicians and patients. “We know that doctors are concerned with tariffs and with how the turbulence in the world is impacting patient lives and the care we can give,” he said.

But he emphasized that the election is also a critical window of opportunity to strengthen health care across the country.

He pointed out what medical associations can accomplish working together, citing the federal government’s recent decision to reverse its increase of the capital gains tax inclusion rate as a prime example.

“Because of our united voice, we saw results,” he said.

One recurring theme in the town hall was the shortage of primary care providers across Canada. An estimated 6.5 million Canadians don’t have access to a family doctor.

Team-based care is one strategy to ease the pressure.

“It’s not about interchangeable providers,” said Dr. Nowak, adding that every health professional has a distinct skillset. “We want people connected to a doctor and let’s support those doctors with other health professionals — nurses, pharmacists, anesthesia care teams, and so on.”

In response to a question about how to fund additional family doctors in Canada, Dr. Reimer said political parties need to focus on this priority. “When you don’t invest in primary care, the costs down the line are higher,” she said.

In addition to adopting team-based care, Dr. Reimer highlighted some of the CMA’s other election priorities including:

• Making it easier for doctors to work in different provinces and territories and better respond to patient needs — through measures like reducing interprovincial barriers, streamlining licensure and scaling up virtual care.
• Acknowledging the right of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples to make their own decisions about health care.
• Getting rid of unnecessary administrative tasks and making other paperwork easier with AI scribes and other technologies.
• Making health information the same everywhere and creating a connected system to share health information efficiently.
• Supporting the fight against the rise of false health-related information.

Fighting for care: Read the CMA’s election priorities

“So far, we’ve had the opportunity to share these recommendations with a number of candidates across all parties,” said Dr. Reimer, noting that in addition to face-to-face and virtual meetings, she’s been speaking at numerous political party conferences.

To close the session, Dr. Nowak underscored the importance of continued physician advocacy: “Let’s move the health care system to a better place.”

“We are so much more effective when we share the same message at all levels of government,” said Dr. Reimer.

IHT5