Membership FAQs

The CFPC is the sole national organization dedicated to family doctors, advancing the specialty of family medicine in Canada. The designations CCFP, FCFP, and CAC are more than just letters after your name, they’re an assurance of high standards and quality through residency accreditation, examination and certification, and continuing professional development (CPD). The CFPC also brings the collective voice of more than 43,000 members to the highest levels of each tier of government to advance family medicine.

The CFPC is not a regulatory body. A regulatory body issues licences to practice medicine. The CFPC issues certificates recognizing expertise and competence in the specialty.
 

The CFPC has more than 43,000 members.

• Use of Special Designations such as CCFP, FCFP, or CCFP plus Certificates of Added Competencies (CAC) after meeting specific requirements. These are symbols of excellence in family medicine that are recognized worldwide. Special Designations signify to patients and peers that members have met high standards for training and are committed to lifelong learning.
• Advocacy for family doctors and the practice of family medicine. The CFPC brings the collective voice of more than 43,000 members to all levels of government.
• Access to Mainpro+^® services and support (CPD), including Linking Learning exercises, Pearls, and the Professional Learning Plan (PLP)
• Receive a print subscription to Canadian Family Physician (CFP), the College’s monthly peer-reviewed medical journal and the only peer-reviewed journal in Canada dedicated to family medicine. Members also can read the CFP blogs and listen to the CFP Podcast.
• Professional support for members who are teachers, researchers, and who have a special practice interest or domain of care
• Preferential rates for:
  • Self-Learning
  • Family Medicine Forum (FMF), Canada’s premiere family medicine conference and a venue for academic learning and networking
• Continuing education:
  • Tools for Practices articles sent directly to your inbox; live-stream clinical webinars every month; and online learning for family doctors with CFPCLearn (paid subscription required to claim Mainpro+ credits)
• CFPC provincial Chapter conferences
• Special member services and benefits such as banking, home, and auto insurance
• Access to the CFPC’s Library service and assistance with conducting a literature or article search.
• Grants and awards through the CFPC’s Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM), which offers more than $500,000 in funds each year
• Info Digest, the CFPC’s weekly email distributed to keep members informed on current events in family medicine, the CFPC, and Chapters

As a member of the Non-Practising class, you have access to a variety of member benefits including:

• Complimentary membership
• Use of Special Designations such as CCFP, FCFP, or CCFP plus Certificates of Added Competencies (CAC) after meeting specific requirements. These are symbols of excellence in family medicine that are recognized worldwide. Special Designations signify to patients and peers that members have met high standards for training and are committed to lifelong learning.
• Advocacy for family doctors and the practice of family medicine. The CFPC brings the collective voice of more than 43,000 members to all levels of government.
• Print subscription to Canadian Family Physician (CFP), the College’s monthly peer-reviewed medical journal and the only peer-reviewed journal in Canada dedicated to family medicine
• CFP blogs and CFP Podcast
• Preferential rates for:
  • Self-Learning. Not already a subscriber? Sign up today!
  • Family Medicine Forum (FMF), Canada’s premiere family medicine conference and a venue for academic learning and networking
• Continuing education:
  • Tools for Practices articles sent directly to your inbox; live-stream clinical webinars every month; and online learning for family doctors with CFPCLearn (paid subscription required to claim Mainpro+ credits)
• CFPC provincial Chapters’ conferences
• Special and preferential member services and benefits such as banking, home, and auto insurance
• Access to the CFPC’s Library Services and assistance to conduct a literature or article search
• Grants and awards through the CFPC’s Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM)
• Info Digest, the CFPC’s weekly email, keeps you informed on current events in family medicine, the CFPC, and Chapters

As a member of the Learner class, you have access to a variety of member benefits including:

• Complimentary membership
• Advocacy for the practice of family medicine. The CFPC brings the collective voice of more than 43,000 members to all levels of government.
• Canadian Family Physician (CFP), the College's monthly peer-reviewed medical journal and the only peer-reviewed journal in Canada dedicated to family medicine. Residents are mailed a print copy each month.
• CFP blogs and CFP Podcast
• Complimentary access to Self-Learning. Not already a subscriber? Sign up today!
• Continuing education:
  • Tools for Practices articles sent directly to your inbox; live-stream clinical webinars every month; and online learning for family doctors with CFPCLearn (paid subscription required to claim Mainpro+ credits)
• Preferential registration rates for:
  • Family Medicine Forum (FMF), Canada’s premiere family medicine conference and a venue for academic learning and networking
  • CFPC provincial Chapter conferences
• Special and preferential member services and benefits such as banking, home, and auto insurance
• Access to the CFPC’s Library Services and assistance to conduct a literature or article search
• Grants and awards through the CFPC’s Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM)
• Info Digest, the CFPC’s weekly email that keeps you informed on current events in family medicine, the CFPC, and Chapters

• Complimentary online Canadian Family Physician (CFP), the College's monthly peer-reviewed medical journal and the only peer-reviewed journal in Canada dedicated to family medicine. Also, access to CFP blogs and CFP Podcast
• Preferential rates for:
  • Self-Learning. Not already a subscriber? Sign up today!
  • Family Medicine Forum (FMF), Canada’s premiere family medicine conference and a venue for academic learning and networking
• Continuing education:
  • Tools for Practices articles sent directly to your inbox; live-stream clinical webinars every month; and online learning for family doctors with CFPCLearn (paid subscription required to claim Mainpro+ credits)
• Special and preferential member services and benefits such as banking, home, and auto insurance
• Access to the CFPC’s Library Services and assistance to conduct a literature or article search
• Info Digest, the CFPC’s weekly email, keeps you informed on current events in family medicine, the CFPC, and Chapters

View the 2023 annual fees.

Family physicians in the Practising class who are working less than 20 hours per week or are on leave (maternity/parental/personal illness/disability) for more than four months during the billing period and are still reporting CPD can apply for a reduced fee of approximately 30 per cent.

If you would like to apply for this member fee reduction, visit the CFPC portal and follow these steps:

1. Under My Account scroll down to I Want to …
2. Click Request a membership fee reduction
3. Complete the form
   • Start date must be on or after the billing start date
   • End date must be on or before the billing end date
4. Upload a PDF that supports the fee reduction request (e.g., doctor’s note, birth certification, letter written by you confirming you practise less than 20 hours)
5. Click Submit

If you have any questions please contact the Member Care Centre at [email protected].

At the 2022 Annual Meeting of Members, the majority of members voted to simplify member classes. Those who practise pay a fee, whereas those who do not practise do not pay a fee.

By reducing the number of member classes to four and simplifying our fee structure, the CFPC can better differentiate between Practising and Non-Practising members as well as Learners, including medical students and residents.

The simplicity of the new classes identifies those who are practising and those who are not. Accordingly, we have applied a fee to members who are practising and offer a complimentary membership for those who are not.

At the 2022 Annual Meeting of Members, the majority of members voted to simplify member classes. Those who practise family medicine pay a fee, whereas those who do not practise do not pay a fee.

People who currently hold the Life Member designation will retain it. The CFPC will be introducing ways to honour and recognize valued long-time members.

Learn more about exam fees by visiting the Certification Examination in Family Medicine web page.

To obtain your receipt:

1. Go to the CFPC portal
2. Go to the My Account tab, then to the sub-folder Finance
3. In the Receipt Link column, under Invoices, click Receipt. The receipt will then be generated for you to save or download.

If you have questions or need further assistance, please contact the Member Care Centre at [email protected].

To reinstate your membership with the CFPC, you must have an active medical licence that is in good standing and you are currently practising family medicine. The next step is to reset your password on the CFPC portal.

To reset your password:

1. Clear your browser’s cache
2. Go to the CFPC portal
3. Click “Forgot your password?” at bottom of page
4. Enter your username after you are redirected to a password reset page. Your username is the email address on file with CFPC.
5. Check your email to complete the password reset. (A message will appear advising you to do so.)
6. Click the hyperlink in the email to be redirected to the CFPC portal - Create a New Password page.
7. The Change Your Password page is where you will create your new password using the following criteria: 12 characters that include at least one numeral and one upper case letter

1. Click Apply now
2. Complete the application (you will be required to upload a copy of your medical licence)
3. Complete the payment by entering your credit card information
4. Click Charge Card
5. Click Next

Simply contact the Member Care Centre by email at [email protected] for further assistance.

To log in and reset your password:

1. Clear your browser’s cache prior to resetting your password.
2. Go to the CFPC portal page.
3. Click Forgot your password? at bottom of page.
4. Enter your username once you are redirected to your password reset page. Your username is your current email address on file with the CFPC.
5. Check your email to complete the password reset. A message will appear advising you to do so.
6. Click the hyperlink in the email to be redirected to the CFPC portal - Create a New Password page.
7. Create a new password on the Change Your Password page using the following criteria: 12 characters that include at least one numeral and one upper case letter

1. Go to the CFPC portal
2. On the home page select My Account, which is located to the right of the Home tab
3. Scroll to the bottom of the My Account page to find Change my Address
4. Complete and submit the form with your updated information for approval
   • Changes involving updating a province or country will require a primary licence update: answer Yes to the question “Has your primary license changed?”
   • The request will be reviewed within seven business days.

1. Go to the CFPC portal. If you no longer have access to your email address and are unable to login, please email [email protected] with your email update request.
2. Select My Account, located to the right of the Home tab on the Home page
3. Look for the Contact Information heading (second one down on the My Account page) and find Email
4. Click the pencil (to edit) to the right of your email address
5. Add your new email address and click Save

Your email address, which is also your username, is now updated. Your password remains unchanged.

The CFPC recently made some upgrades to the portal and updated the login page, requiring members to reset their passwords. To reset your password, please use a computer or a tablet device, not a smartphone, and then follow the instructions:

1. Go to the CFPC portal.
2. Select Forgot your password?
3. Enter your email address, which is your username
4. Use the link you will receive an email to go to the Password Reset page
5. Create and confirm a new password

You will then return to the portal’s home page.