2026 Board Nominations

• February 28, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) – Deadline to submit a CFPC Board Director application and CV. Please note that applications submitted after this deadline will be considered for the 2027 election cycle
• March 2026, to May 2026 – Nominating Committee and Board of Directors review applications
• May 30, 2026 – Deadline for the Nominating Committee to confirm with each applicant whether they are nominated in the 2026 CFPC Board of Directors election
• End of June 2026 – Deadline for nominees to submit a video and provide written content to support their nomination
• September 9 to 23, 2026 – Nominee information is circulated to members to review. During this time, members have an opportunity to provide feedback to the Nominating Committee, including adding their names to the list of nominees if they feel the existing nominees are not qualified.
• September 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) – Deadline for information from any additional nominees
• October 1, 2026 – The final nominee list is circulated to members for review
• October 7 to 21, 2026, 11:59 p.m. (ET) – Practising members will receive personalized invitations to vote in the election
• October 28, 2026 – Annual Meeting of Members (AMM), when the names of the successful nominees for the 2026/27 Board of Directors are announced

The deadline to apply for board vacancies is Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (ET).

Applications received after this date will be considered for the 2027 election cycle.

There are two Director-at-Large vacancies for the period of October 28, 2026, to the time of the 2029 AMM.

There are two Director-at-Large vacancies for the 2026 Board of Directors election. Our members represent an enormous diversity both professionally and personally. Below are the four priority attributes or skills identified this year to help the Board function best. Please note that we are not looking for individuals to identify with all four priority attributes or skills, but rather we aim for a Board that cumulatively represents all listed below:

• Convener and influencer in family medicine – this person harnesses several of the skills listed below to generate movement and change in all types of settings
• Clinical practice location in Quebec
• Within the first 10 years in practice
• Researcher

The CFPC’s Board of Directors is a multi-talented group of individuals, collectively expected to possess the following skills, proficiencies, and diverse attributes in addition to the ones we are prioritizing this coming election cycle, listed above.

• Diversity in patient populations served (remote, rural, small town, suburban, urban, inner city, Indigenous people, vulnerable people, etc.)
• Diversity in care provided (comprehensive care, focused care and holding a Certificate of Added Competence, area(s) of special interest, etc.)
• Diversity in clinical practice location
• Diversity in self-identification and lived experience (sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, member of a racialized community, person with a disability, immigrant, etc.)
• International medical graduate
• Facility to communicate in Canada’s two official languages, English and French (bilingual)
• Knowledge of and engagement in the CFPC (committee participant, reviewer, etc.)
• Knowledge of and engagement in Chapter activities (committee participant, reviewer, etc.)
• Experience with boards and governance
• Financial acumen
• Knowledge in risk management
• Understanding of legal matters
• Knowledge of not-for-profit organizations
• Familiarity with systems thinking and experience in strategic planning
• Experience in patient and health care advocacy
• Comprehension of ethics and conflicts of interest
• Possession of political acumen and understanding of public affairs, and experience in government relations
• Experience in communications, including leveraging various platforms to engage stakeholders effectively
• Experience in fundraising that could help to further connect the CFPC and its Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM) Boards
• Experience in community leadership and advocacy, leading change, social justice initiatives
• Engagement in faculties of medicine, hospitals, teaching, research, administration
• Acumen regarding the CFPC's core functions (setting standards for certification in family medicine, curriculum, accreditation of postgraduate training in family medicine and of continuing professional development)

Until February 28, 2026: Access the application form to provide your details and a CV for review.

• The Nominating Committee reviews the applications and scores them based on objective criteria to find candidates who best fit the attributes with greatest need
• Applicants may be asked for additional information and/or be invited to participate in an interview conducted by video conference
• The Nominating Committee will make recommendations to the Board and the Board will confirm the nominees
• Applicants will be informed by May 29, 2026, whether they are being nominated for member consideration in the 2026 election
• Nominees will be asked to provide the following items by mid-June to be shared with CFPC members on the CFPC’s website:
  • A written summary (up to 500 words) describing themselves to members
  • A video introduction presenting themselves to members (up to 60 seconds, recorded with the help of the CFPC)
  • A picture of themselves

Applicants will receive communications from [email protected], regarding the status of their application.

Board Directors are expected to be prepared for and attend a mix of in-person and virtual meetings. See “What is the time commitment?” in these FAQs for details.

Board Directors are also expected to participate actively on one Board Committee when vacancies exist.

Board Directors engage in regular email discussions and teleconferences as needed. Email correspondence may, at times, occur weekly.

The participation of Directors in Board discussions and the expression of opinions are highly valued. The respectful consideration of the opinions of others is necessary. In addition to being part of the decision-making process, being a Board Director is a learning opportunity that enables members to develop a broad perspective on issues affecting family medicine and family physicians. Members of the CFPC’s Board of Directors are also members of the FAFM.

For a full description of the responsibilities and expectations of the CFPC Board Directors, please review the CFPC’s Board Director Policy on Roles and Responsibilities.

• CFPC Board Directors are expected to be prepared for and attend approximately five meetings per year (two in person and three virtually)
  • Two days in person in May or June
  • Two days in person in October/November at the beginning of Family Medicine Forum (FMF) week, followed by the four days at FMF
  • Three three-hour video conferences per year
• Directors participate in the CFPC’s virtual AMM (1.5 hours) and the FAFM’s virtual Annual Meeting (1.5 hours)
• Directors are expected to review all Board meeting materials in advance in order to come prepared to engage in discussion and decision making. Preparation time varies but can be expected to be in the range of four hours prior to each meeting. Committee meeting time varies, depending on the committee.

These are estimates and actual participation may vary slightly, depending on the CFPC’s needs.

• The CFPC’s Board of Directors is composed of 12 Directors
• The Office of the CEO works with the Board in a non-voting capacity

Changes/opportunities effective October 28, 2026, include:

• Four Directors holding Officer positions will complete their one-year terms and the individuals elected to fill those positions will be confirmed:
  • Our current Past President, Dr. Carrie Bernard, will complete her term and time as a Board Director
  • Our current President, Dr. Sarah Cook, will be acclaimed as a Director holding the office of Past President for 2026/27
  • Our current President-Elect, Dr. Sarah Funnell, will be acclaimed as a Director holding the office of President for 2026/27
  • The results of the vote to elect our current Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. Helen Cuddihy, as a Director holding the office of President-Elect for 2026/27 will be revealed
  • The results of the vote to elect our current Director-at-Large, Dr. Avik Nath, as a Director holding the office of Secretary-Treasurer for 2026/27 will be revealed
• Among the remaining seven Directors-at-Large, the following changes will occur:
  • One vacancy is created by Director-at-Large Dr. Avik Nath being the nominee for Director holding the office of Secretary-Treasurer
  • One vacancy is created by a Director-at-Large due to their resignation as of February 2026
  • The results of the vote to elect two new Directors-at-Large will be revealed
  • The results of the vote to re-elect current Director-at-Large Dr. Meena Natarajan as a Director-at-Large for a second term (2026 to 2029) will be revealed

• The following Directors-at-Large will continue their terms:
  • Dr. Amanda Condon (2024–2027)
  • Dr. Sarah Lespérance (2024–2027)
  • Dr. Alykhan Abdulla (2025-2028)
  • Dr. Roop Conyers (2025-2028)
  • Dr. Destiny Lu-Cleary (2025-2028)

• CFPC members elect Board Directors annually
• CFPC members elect individuals they trust will provide informed oversight, passionate stewardship, and sound decision making, which are essential for securing a vibrant future for the CFPC

Voting is both a right and a responsibility for members.

There are two Director-at-Large vacancies for the 2026 Board of Directors election.
 

Please see our Board Function Policy.

The Nominating Committee oversees the nomination and election process on behalf of the Board.

The Nominating Committee approaches the vacancies as follows:

• The President-Elect nominee is typically the current Secretary-Treasurer, provided that the individual holding this position is supported by the Nominating Committee and the Board, and the individual is interested in the President-Elect position.
• The Secretary-Treasurer nominee is recommended by the Nominating Committee from among the Directors-at-Large. The nominee may be at any point in their Director-at-Large term when nominated. If the Nominating Committee does not feel that any of the sitting Directors-at-Large can be recommended for the Secretary-Treasurer position in a given year, a nominee will be sought from among the membership.
  • Important factors in this determination include that the Secretary-Treasurer position is essentially a step in the direction of preparing for the role of President. An important feature in the election process is the opportunity for succession planning. Individuals ascending to the presidency need time to properly prepare for this responsibility both in terms of acquiring the required knowledge and making arrangements to cover their practices and family responsibilities during the presidential year. Another ongoing consideration is ensuring that the Board Directors, including the Officers, reflect our membership’s diversity. This is something the Nominating Committee considers.
• The Director-at-Large nominees come from two sources. One is a recommendation from the Board and Nominating Committee that a current Director-at-Large who is finishing their first term on the Board be elected to serve for a second term. The second source is through the Nominating Committee’s Call for Interest to all members. The Call for Interest is circulated in February and the CFPC welcomes applications from all members by the last calendar day in February. A skills and perspectives matrix is maintained to ensure the CFPC Board has a balance of skills and experience that also reflects the diversity of the profession. The Nominating Committee and the Board annually review any gaps on the Board to inform these priorities. The Nominating Committee reviews all the applications, conducts interviews with some applicants, and puts forward strong nominees it feels are suitable for the role. If only one such nominee is identified, the Board approves the nominees forwarded for voting.

The Nominating Committee shares information about nominees with members by early September:

• Rationale for the nomination from the Nominating Committee
• Nominee’s responses to:
  • How I will resonate with members from across our country and at all stages of practice?
  • What I will bring to the CFPC Board of Directors?
• Short video introduction (up to 60 seconds)
• A picture of the nominee
• Nominee’s written description of themselves for members (up to 500 words)
• CV/resume
• Conflict of interest declaration and plans for mitigation, if elected

During this feedback phase we ask members to review the information carefully. If you feel the nominees are not qualified, there is an opportunity for you to indicate that you wish to be added or have another member who is willing to stand for election be added to the final list of nominees for the Director-at-Large vacancy. Members who come forward at this stage will be given a deadline to provide the same information that the other nominees provided: application form, the items outlined in bullets above (excluding the first bullet), and a written response (up to 500 words) to be shared with members outlining a compelling argument for why you are a better fit to serve on the CFPC Board than all other nominees, and why you are coming forward now.

Please contact the Office of the CEO at [email protected].