Canadian Federation of
Medical Students
About the CFMS
The CFMS is an organization representing over 8,000 medical students from 15 Canadian medical student societies from coast to coast. We represent medical students to the public, to the federal government, and to national and international medical organizations.
Press Release: Elections 2023
April 18, 2023

About the CFMS

For over forty years the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) has been the national voice that represents over 9000 medical students at fifteen schools across Canada.

Our three-fold mandate seeks:

   1. To communicate national medical education issues of importance to medical students and facilitate communication and connect medical students among member schools.

   2. To provide services that support the needs of member medical students.

   3. To support medical students by representing their voices among the national organizations that direct or influence the policy environment or delivery of medical education in Canada. It also represents medical students in organizations with broad health care mandates.

The Canadian Federation of Medical Students will be hosting our Virtual Elections General Meeting (VGM) on Sunday, May 7th, 2023. During this meeting, we look forward to electing medical students for the following CFMS 2021-2022 Board positions: 

·   President (1)

·   Vice-President Finance (1)

·   Director of Education (1)

·   Director of Student Affairs (1)

·   Director of Global Health (1)

·   Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy (1)

·   Atlantic Regional Director (1)

·   Quebec Regional Director (1)

·   Ontario Regional Directors (2)

·   Western Regional Directors (2)

Requirements:

Interested individuals must complete this online form.

Nominations for all CFMS 2023-2024 Executive Board positions must be received no later than Friday, April 28th. Nominations will close by the end of the day. Candidate documents must be received by the end of next day, Saturday, April 29th.

Nominations Process:

The CFMS recognizes three categories of elections back-to-back per year:

  1. Election of the President
  2. Election of the Vice-President Finance and Portfolio Directors
  3. Election of the Regional Directors

Please note, individuals are permitted to run for up to one position in each of the above three elections. For example, an individual may submit nominations for President, Vice-President Finance, and Atlantic Regional Director at the same time. The election categories will be elected in the order that they are listed above, starting with President and ending with the Regional Directors. Should an individual be elected to a position, their nominations for subsequent positions will automatically be withdrawn.

Electoral Timeline:

Nominations Documents: Send to [email protected] (Monty) + [email protected] (Chair) + [email protected] (Victoria Radburn) + [email protected] (Stephanie H.) + Coordinator.cfms.org (Alex Pham) + [email protected] (Gursehaj)

Candidate Reference Documents: 

Election Day Overview:

Candidate Nominations Tracker

Candidates running for secondary positions in subsequent categories may choose to keep secondary nominations private until results are completed for the most senior elections – at which time if they are unsuccessful and would still like to run for other positions they have submitted a nomination for, the nomination can be uploaded to the website and shared publicly.

Who can run?

As per the CFMS By-laws, “Only individual medical student members and individual members-at-large who have attained the age of eighteen years, are in good standing with the Federation and the federal government as per the Act, and have the capacity to contract shall be eligible for election to the Board of Directors”.

While previous experience with the workings of the CFMS is strongly encouraged, it is not required. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to individuals in the position they are running for, or others that may help you gain further insight into the role and responsibilities. Applicants are also encouraged to read the Terms of Reference for positions they are running for. Applicants are not permitted to campaign through advertisements of social media.

The CFMS is committed to furthering equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels of the organization. It is critical that we have leadership that reflects the diversity of the medical profession and the communities we serve. We encourage nominations from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented in medicine such as women, 2SLGBTQ2IA, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, visible minorities/racialized groups, and other underrepresented groups.

All applicants should review the CFMS Code of Conduct prior to submitting a nomination, to ensure you are comfortable with the expectations of a CFMS Executive Board.

To encourage transparency and program buy-in for board duties given the significant time commitment, medical students who are interested in running for the CFMS Executive Board should consider discussing the opportunity with their medical program before they run. 

For planning purposes, please note, those elected attend the Summer Board Meeting 2023 (June), AGM 2023 (September), Fall Board Meeting (October), Winter Board Meeting (February), SGM 2024 (April), and subsequent Summer Board Meeting (June) which are all 3 day meetings minimum.

Election Process:

Votes will be cast by medical student society representatives and members of the CFMS Board of Directors, as detailed in the CFMS By-laws. All CFMS elections will be conducted in accordance with the CFMS By-laws and CFMS Elections Policy Document in a manner that maintains the highest level of process integrity. 

Term Details

Newly elected board directors, including the Regional Directors, Portfolio Directors, Vice President, and President, elected at VEM 2023, will officially commence their roles on July 1st, 2023. The time period between SGM 2022 and July 1st, 2023 is designated as transition time for the new board members to learn their roles and prepare for their term. Each position is for a one-year term.

Available positions

President

The President is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the CFMS. Most Presidents have had experience on the CFMS ​board​ and should have detailed knowledge of all policy and activities of the organization. In addition to setting the priorities of the organization, the President acts as the primary contact on important issues for students and external organizations. The President attends many external meetings as the representative of Canadian medical students and will often travel an average of two weekends a month for the duration of the one-year term. Major commitments include CFMS representative and liaison with the Association of Faculties of Medicine (AFMC), Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Canadian Residency Matching System (CaRMS), Physician Resource Planning Advisory Committee (PRPAC), Resident Doctors of Canada (RDoC) and a multitude of task forces and subcommittees. The President will often be asked to present at different meetings and speak with the media about issues affecting medical students. The President is also heavily involved in all activities of the ​board​ and works with other ​board members to ensure that the priorities of the organization are achieved. Time on email (internal and external) can exceed 2 hours per day during busy periods. Agendas and planning for executive meetings and teleconferences as well as the three meetings of the CFMS board also fall under this position. Presidential responsibilities also include liaising with the Executive Director on a regular basis and ensuring that the infrastructure of the organization is in good order. Following the end of their term, the president assumes the official role of past-president for a one-year term. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the President Terms of Reference.

Vice-President Finance

The Vice-President Finance has overall fiscal management responsibility for the CFMS and must have an intricate understanding of the breadth of activities of the CFMS in order to advise the Board and General Assembly on budgeting and work-planning. They are responsible for managing the CFMS bank accounts, investments, expenses, revenue, and payroll. The VP Finance must maintain at least weekly contact with the General Manager and President. The VP Finance is responsible for long-term strategic planning together with the President. They actively work to broaden the financial resource base of the CFMS by seeking alternative sources of revenue through grants, advertising, donations and sponsorship. They are responsible for the development of policy relating to finances. The VP Finance is expected to have a detailed understanding of accounting principles and documentation. They should be comfortable using electronic booking software and spreadsheets. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the VP Finance Terms of Reference. 

Director Education

The Director Education (Dir. Ed) represents all Canadian medical students to various national medical organizations including various committees of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). The Dir. Ed may also represent students on various working groups and task forces established internally by the CFMS or external organizations for short-term medical education projects. The Dir. Ed collaborates with VP Educations and VP Academics on best practices and bridges our member schools on matters related to medical education. The Dir. Ed works on initiatives related to the AFMC Student Portal, the Medical Student Performance Record review, Canadian medical school accreditation, medical education advocacy efforts, interprofessional education, global health education, CFMS Transition to Residency/Match Book Guide and supporting Unmatched Medical Students. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Director Education Terms of Reference.

Director of Government Affairs

The Director Government Affairs (Dir. GA) has a variety of duties related to leading and coordinating the CFMS’s local, provincial, and national political advocacy efforts. More specifically, the Dir. GA oversees and helps facilitate the CFMS Government Affairs and Advocacy Committee, the Committee on Health Policy, the Day of Action Topic Selection and Research Committees and the Rapid Response Team, alongside the respective leads/National Officers. The Dir. GA also leads the CFMS National Day of Action in Ottawa. The Dir. GA is responsible for encouraging and facilitating local advocacy efforts at member schools. Occasionally, the Dir. GA will also represent the CFMS to various external committees and organizations as deemed necessary by the president and executive. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Director Government Affairs Terms of Reference. 

Director Student Affairs

The Director Student Affairs (Dir. SA) takes responsibility for overseeing the CFMS Student Wellness portfolio and for coordinating the CFMS member benefits and services. This position collaborates with the National Wellness Officer, National Services Officer, Wellness Representatives, and Local Representatives, as well as with various external partners. The Dir. SA helps to oversee the projects of the National Wellness Officer and Wellness Committee, participates in Wellness Committee meetings, and serves as a coordinator and representative for other CFMS wellness projects and activities. The Dir. SA also serves as the CFMS representative on the AFMC Student Affairs committee and the Resident Doctors of Canada Resiliency Curriculum Working Group. Other major responsibilities of the role include developing and maintaining partnerships that will provide services and benefits to student members, administering and overseeing internally created member services, promoting member benefits, and working with the VP Finance on sponsorship relationships and benefits, including the oversight of the CFMS Leadership Awards. The Dir. SA will also be expected to play an integral role in the development and maintenance of web-based services. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Director Student Affairs Terms of Reference. 

Director of Global Health

The Director Global Health (Dir. GH) is responsible for coordinating the CFMS Global Health Program. The Dir. GH takes the lead in forming and maintaining dynamic partnerships with Canadian and international organizations with respect to global health, international development, and public health. The Dir. GH works in partnership with the international program of the FMÉQ (IFMSA-Quebec) to implement programs that intersect the mandate of the CFMS Global Health Program and the strategic direction and initiatives of the International Federation of Medical Students (IFMSA). The Dir. GH serves as the President of the Canadian delegation to the IFMSA, and may attend the IFMSA Regional Meeting in January and AGM in March (locations TBD). The Dir. GH directly oversees seven National Officers, with portfolios as diverse as indigenous health, reproductive health, partnerships, human rights and peace, exchanges and global health education. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Director Global Health Terms of Reference. 

Regional Directors

Six positions are currently held for regional representation to the CFMS Board of Directors. Regional Directors are voting members of the Board and ensure that the Board is updated on developments at all of the member schools. Regional Directors serve as liaisons between the Board and the medical society representatives and presidents. Each regional director serves as an attaché to one CFMS portfolio, as per the Dyad model, under the direction of the President to ensure communication between the Board and medical societies. Regional Directors are expected to report on the affairs of constituent medical schools as well as communicate the affairs of the Board within their region.

Atlantic Regional Director

The position of Atlantic Regional Director is a one-year term. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Atlantic Regional Director Terms of Reference. 

Quebec Regional Director

The position of Quebec Regional Director is a one-year term. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Quebec Regional Director Terms of Reference. 

Ontario Regional Director

The position of Ontario Regional Director is a one-year term. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Ontario Regional Director Terms of Reference. 

Western Regional Director

The position of Western Regional Director is a one-year term. Please learn more about the role by reviewing the Western Regional Director Terms of Reference. 

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