Specialists will be participating in a referendum to leave the OMA and form their own specialist association Sunday Nov 25 to Monday 27th. The Premier's Office will respect the results.
Toronto – A senior government source closely involved with negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association has told the Medical Post that the Progressive Conservative government intends to respect the results of the upcoming specialist referendum.
In that referendum, thousands of Ontario’s specialists are expected vote on whether they want to leave the association and join the newly formed Ontario Specialists Association (OSA).
“Physicians should have the full right to determine who represents them,” said the source, who was not authorized to speak on the record. “Until the vote happens, we’re not going to have any conversations that are outside the existing legal framework, but if the vote shows a large section of them are unhappy with the OMA we’re prepared to begin having that conversation.”
The “existing legal framework” is a reference to the representation rights agreement which makes the OMA the sole bargaining agent for all of the province’s doctors. But the source said that if the vote shows “a critical mass” of doctors wish to leave the OMA, then they would be open to amending existing laws to allow them to do so.
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