CFMS National Lobby Day
February 10 -11th, 2008 - Ottawa, ON
At the September 2006 AGM a resolution was passed stating that the CFMS work to
Lobby the federal government to extend the interest-free status on government
student loans until the completion of residency. This issue has since been the focus
of both a lobby day in February 2007 and our most recent lobby day in February
2008.
This year Lobby Day was held on February 10 and 11, 2008. A total of 58 student delegates
from across Canada met with 64 Members of Parliament to discuss the issue of
medical resident debt deferral. MPs from the three major national parties were
represented, including the Hon. Steven Fletcher, Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of Health. Invited guests included executive members from the Federation
Medicale Etudiante du Quebec (FMEQ) and the Canadian Association of Pharmacy
Students and Interns (CAPSI).
On Sunday February 11th, preceding Lobby Day, a training day was held at the National Press
Gallery to orient delegates to our “ask” and provide them with an overview of the
current government and media training. Perspectives from the progress that the
Canadian Association of Interns and Residents (CAIR) has made with the Canada
Student Loans Program (CSLP) were presented. Guest speakers included:
Eve Elman, CMA Director of Government Relations & Public Affairs
• Ms. Elman opened the training day with an environmental scan of the
federal government and current national priorities. This information proved
invaluable to setting the stage for our lobbying efforts.
Taras Zalusky, former Chief of Staff to multiple Liberal cabinet ministers
• Mr. Zalusky spoke to delivering your message to an MP and other
strategies for effective lobbying of the federal government.
Kady O’Malley, McLean’s magazine
• A political journalist, Ms. O’Malley provided us with insight into the life of a
political journalist, how the “media machine” works and role played
scenarios on dealing with the media on the topic of resident debt deferral.
Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Member of Parliament
• Dr. Bennett spoke during a working dinner and provided us with insight into the life of a physician MP.
On Monday February 11th, teams of two students met with their MPs and returned to CFMS
headquarters at 200 West Block to sign thank you cards, document any follow up
from their meetings and provide feedback. Delegates were provided passes to
Question Period – where the CFMS was mentioned 3 times by various Members! To
view the clips:
Dr. Carolyn Bennett
Dr. Hedy Fry
Judy Wasylycia-Leis
Our message was received very positively by the vast majority of MPs we met with,
many of whom agreed to write letters to the Ministers of Finance, Health and Human
Resources & Social Development. On February 26 the government released the
budget which unfortunately did not include specific provisions for resident debt.
However, the CFMS has recently learned via the CMA that there may be some
changes to provide residents relief during their first two years of training. The Lobby
Day MRPs are currently investigating this.
Stay tuned for more info on Lobby Day 2009!
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