We thank the signatories for sharing their thoughtful, respectful, and well-articulated argument.
We also thank them for acknowledging the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s actions to address climate change and environmental health. Indeed, one of the letter’s signatories is a member of our Environmental Health Resource Group and we will benefit from his wise counsel.
To date, Scotiabank has been a valuable supporter of family medicine. As the letter writers point out, in the past 20 years, Scotiabank has contributed more than $5 million to a range of activities including medical student scholarships, continuing professional development grants, patient education and prevention initiatives, and a variety of awards and benefits for family physicians, particularly those at the beginning of their careers.
We recognize that banks rely on a multitude of investments and that not all of our members will agree with some of the investment directions. However, given the above, we do think that family medicine, especially young family doctors, have benefitted greatly from Scotiabank’s support.
We believe that other organizations, such as the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, are better positioned to focus on and advocate for environmental issues.
Where we have a mandate, the College of Family Physicians of Canada will continue to speak on behalf of its members with respect to environmental issues.
Footnotes
Competing interests
Dr White is President of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), Dr Lemire is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the CFPC, and Dr Cervin is Chair of the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine at the CFPC
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