Equilibrium: National and Provincial Roles in Canadian Radiology

Abstract

It is not only healthy but customary and desirable for associations to review their governance structure periodically to ensure that it is effective in meeting the needs of members. The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) has undergone 3 such reviews in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The first was conducted in the late 1980s under the leadership of Dr Ian Sutherland, the second 10 years later under that of Dr Brian Lentle, and the latest in 2007, led by Dr David Vickar. Each of these reviews led to administrative changes that were designed ultimately to serve the Association’s constituentsdCanadian radiologists, and, by extension, the Canadian public. The major impetus for the Lentle review, conducted by an accounting-management firm in 1998, was the steadily declining membership in the CAR, which threatened its fiscal viability. It had become apparent that the Association was not providing the political leadership needed to rectify problems such as insufficient and outdated diagnostic imaging equipment in Canada. Before this review the link between the provincial radiology associations and the CAR had been through the provincial divisional councillors. There were 4 councillors from each of the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and 1 from each of the other 8 provinces; all of the councillors held seats on the CAR Council. An important outcome of the 1998 review was the recognition that not all divisional councillors were able to speak with authority on behalf of the provincial radiologists that they were intended to represent. This led to the creation of the Presidents’ Forum (PF), a thinktank made up of the presidents of the 10 provincial radiology associations. This body met twice yearly at the time of the