Renewing hope

I have always found January to be a time for reflection—a chance to consider the year gone by and plan for the year ahead. After attending this year’s Family Medicine Forum in Vancouver, BC, I feel a renewed sense of hope despite the challenges we are facing.

Last year was a time of transition at the CFPC. In May 2024 Dr Mike Allan became the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the CFPC.¹ Dr Allan, already well known to many for his approachable leadership style, is committed to being responsive to feedback and improving relationships with members, Chapters, and partners. He is also diligently working to ensure members whose first language is French believe their professional home is truly there for them. He has created opportunities to increase transparency, including Mike Drop, a column found in the CFPC’s Info Digest that shares information of interest to members.

Dr Allan’s approach to relationship building has been a great source of hope for me at a time when we are challenged by an environment of stress and increasing divisiveness. When resources are scarce, differences are often highlighted. For family physicians that can mean an increasing divide between those in academia and those who work in the community, each believing the other is better off.

As a person who straddles both worlds, I know that while the challenges and rewards vary somewhat among the different family medicine paths, the themes stay the same: all family doctors, no matter where they work, are restricted by lack of resources, support, and time, yet they share a passion to make the world better for patients, learners, and one another.

While it is tempting to become divisive at difficult times, now is when we need to come together. By focusing on what unites us—knowing that our work has meaning, that we play important roles in improving the well-being of our patients—we can advocate more effectively together. As this new year begins, I have confidence that we are on a better path, and I will work to help all members feel connected to their College and our advocacy.

As the bridge between membership, staff, and the Board at the CFPC, my goal is to highlight what we can learn from each other and to showcase how the CFPC advocates for you and the practice of family medicine.² To me, this means using my platform to share what you do as we work together to advance our field.

Last year, the CFPC met with government officials across all political parties to highlight the value of family physicians. We also advised how the government could support you, such as increasing remuneration, building primary care teams,³ and decreasing your unmanageable administrative burden.⁴ The CFPC plans to continue these conversations with government officials to advocate for sustainable working environments.

Our advocacy work and the audience it is reaching are my sources of hope as this new year begins. The CFPC will continue to promote the value of the family doctors⁵ in our health care system by lobbying for adequate resources so family physicians are supported.

Truly, we are all in this together. I hope we can become stronger by focusing on what unites us. It is my goal this year to highlight what we can learn from those around us as we advocate for our patients, our learners, and each other.

I would love to connect. Please reach out to me at cbernard{at}cfpc.ca.

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