Family Medicine Forward

Family Medicine Forward is the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)’s new strategic planning initiative but, more importantly, it is an opportunity to reflect on where family medicine is today and where we need to go next as a profession.

Over the next several months, we’ll be working with members, staff, Chapters, and partners across the country to help shape a clearer direction for the CFPC over the next three to five years, with an eye toward the longer-term future of family medicine in Canada.

This work is not just about creating a plan. It’s about listening carefully, identifying where the CFPC can better support family physicians, and making sure our priorities reflect the realities members are facing every day in practice.

Family medicine is under enormous pressure across Canada. Expectations of family physicians continue to evolve, health systems are changing rapidly, and many physicians are navigating increasingly complex challenges in practice.

• Where can we have the greatest impact?
• What do members need most from the CFPC?
• What should we continue doing, and where do we need to do better?

Family Medicine Forward is intended to help the CFPC respond thoughtfully and realistically to those questions, with members helping shape the answers.

The process is being led by the CFPC Board of Directors and the Board Task Force on Strategic Planning, in partnership with The Poirier Group, the CFPC’s strategic planning consultants.

At the same time, this work is intentionally broader than a leadership exercise. Staff, Chapter leaders, Board members, and members from across the country are all contributing perspectives and ideas throughout the process.

The goal is to build a strategy that reflects the experiences and priorities of the people closest to the work and the profession.

The work is already well under way.

Over the past several weeks, we have taken important early steps in this work, beginning with the launch of our first members’ town hall. We have also started leadership and interest holder interviews, completed an initial staff pulse check survey, and invited members to take part in focus groups. Together, these activities are already helping us gather early themes and insights that will shape the next phase of discussions.

One of the most encouraging signs so far has been the level of engagement. Members and staff have been generous with their time, thoughtful in their feedback, and genuinely invested in helping shape the future direction of the CFPC.

We’ll continue sharing updates as the work progresses.

Member participation is central to this process.

Over the coming months, members will have multiple opportunities to contribute through town halls, pulse surveys, focus groups, and interactive engagement activities. We want to hear from physicians working in different regions, practice settings, and career stages because there is no single experience of family medicine in Canada today.

Some members may choose to participate formally through surveys or focus groups, while others may simply follow along and provide occasional feedback. Both are valuable.

We also welcome direct input at any time through [email protected].

The member focus groups are intended to create smaller, more conversational spaces where participants can speak openly about their experiences, priorities, and expectations of the CFPC.

The groups will include a mix of perspectives from across the profession, including residents, early-career physicians, community practitioners, rural and remote physicians, academics, and educators.

Rather than focusing only on specific programs or services, these conversations are meant to explore broader questions about the future of family medicine, the role of the CFPC, and where members believe the CFPC can provide the greatest value and leadership moving forward.

The sessions are being facilitated by The Poirier Group to help make sure discussions are open, balanced, and objective.

Yes. In addition to focus groups and town halls, members will have opportunities to participate in surveys throughout the process.
Some surveys will be shorter “pulse checks” connected to specific phases of the planning work, while others may explore broader strategic themes in more depth.

These surveys are an important way for us to hear from a wide cross-section of members across the country, and we strongly encourage participation whenever possible.

Information about upcoming surveys will be shared through the Info Digest, direct communications, and the member portal.

Feedback gathered throughout this process will play an important role in shaping the strategy.

We are not approaching engagement as a checkbox exercise or simply collecting comments for reporting purposes. The intention is to use what we hear to identify patterns, raise important tensions or trade-offs, and better understand where the CFPC should focus its efforts moving forward.

Not every idea will translate directly into a strategic priority, but every perspective helps build a more complete understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing family medicine today.

Transparency and ongoing communication are important commitments within Family Medicine Forward.

As themes and insights emerge through surveys, town halls, interviews, and focus groups, we will continue sharing updates with members and staff throughout the process. This includes reporting what we are hearing, where conversations are evolving, and what the next phases of work will involve.

The goal is for members to feel informed and connected to the process as it develops – not simply presented with a final plan at the end.