2024 Annual
Report

President, CEO & Leadership

Message from CMPA Leadership


CMPA Council, Leadership team, and Strategic Plan

Council

Council

CMPA is governed by an elected Council of practising physicians who, together with CMPA management, foster the long-term success of the Association.

Meet Council >>

Leadership team

Leadership team

Our leadership team brings unique and diverse skills to the Association that help us support members and contribute to safe medical care across the healthcare system.

Meet the team >>

2023-2026
Strategic Plan

2023-2026
Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan lays out CMPA’s proactive approach to meet the changing needs of physicians and the Canadian healthcare system.

Read now >>

CMPA's mission and vision

Mission

To protect the professional integrity of physicians and promote safe medical care in Canada.

Vision

The CMPA is valued as an essential component of the Canadian healthcare system.

Empowering Better Healthcare

As an essential component of the Canadian healthcare system, we empower better healthcare by supporting our members and employees, strengthening our foundation through collaboration, and adapting to a changing healthcare environment.

Supporting our members: 2024 highlights

  • Supported members with expert peer-to-peer guidance over 54,000 times, on the phone and online.
  • 93% of members who completed our post-call survey expressed satisfaction with the service provided.
  • Provided medico-legal assistance to over 30,000 new cases, including 958 legal cases, 5,310 College matters, and 2,275 hospital matters.
  • 96% of members who responded to our post-call survey felt that CMPA physician advisors interacted with them in a non-judgmental, safe, and supportive manner.

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  • 87% (1,381) of members who reported high stress levels in our post-call survey experienced a significant reduction in stress after speaking with us about a medico-legal concern.
  • Launched the Wellness Support Program in 2024, offering additional support to members who were distressed about medico-legal events.

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  • The top 3 words members used to describe CMPA in 2024: trusted, responsive, and creditable (worthy of belief).
  • Curated online resources on key issues (e.g., medical assistance in dying (MAID), AI, and bias in healthcare), streamlining members’ access to information.
  • When changes to MAID legislation in Québec took effect, we offered informed medico-legal guidance to members, helping them navigate the complexities of risks involved.
  • 8,636 members responded to the 2024 General Membership Survey, of whom 96% agreed that CMPA services met their medico-legal needs.
  • Reached a baseline of 1 business day for member callbacks, and let members choose a callback time that worked best for them.

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  • $2.5 billion in compensation paid to patients, on behalf of members, over the last 10 years.
  • In 2024, compensation to patients proven harmed by negligent care, paid on behalf of members, totaled $322 million, an all-time high.
  • Closed 2024 in a strong financial position, with investment returns of 13.6%.
  • Our strong financial position should provide confidence to members and their patients that we are there for them.

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A closer look: Member Support Program (MSP)

293 members participated in the MSP in 2024

Tailored support and advice to members struggling with a high or an increasing number of medico-legal issues.

After participating in the MSP:

96%*

took steps to improve their practice.

87%*

felt confident in their practice.

96%*

felt safe to openly discuss their practice issues with us.

who received coaching said there was a positive impact on their well-being, confidence, stress levels, and improved satisfaction with their practice.

*of survey respondents

Strengthening our foundation through collaboration: 2024 highlights

  • Sponsored equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts and contributed our expertise to help address systemic inequities and create a more inclusive healthcare environment in Canada.
  • We actively explored opportunities to use alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and engaged with stakeholders who have an interest in restorative approaches to healthcare harm (e.g., medical regulatory authorities, healthcare authorities, Healthcare Excellence Canada, and Patients for Patient Safety Canada).
  • With over 150 new stakeholder engagements and 344 meetings in total, we provided our perspective on key areas of interest including EDI, AI, international medical graduates (IMGs) new to practice in Canada, and physician wellness.
  • We provided valuable risk messaging to medical assistance in dying (MAID) advocates and providers, including the Quebec MSSS (Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux), and we sponsored the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers’ (CAMAP) Annual Conference.

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  • Front-line physician advisors continued to receive EDI and anti-racism learning (e.g., San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training), helping them create a culturally safe and inclusive environment on calls with members, while enhancing their ability to quickly recognize and identify EDI concerns.
  • In EDI-related cases, we empowered legal counsel to expand their defence approach.
  • Provided equity scholarships to 8 physicians/physician trainees from Black, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), or racialized communities, to attend major academic conferences in 2024 and share their research and knowledge.
  • Continued to work collaboratively with our external partners and stakeholders to support EDI initiatives, e.g. participation in the Canadian Medical Forum Anti-Racism in Healthcare Working Group, including helping to shape and signing the Joint Statement on its Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and Anti-Racism in Canadian Healthcare, December 2024 [PDF].

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  • Launched the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Education and Learning Series for all employees and offered targeted EDI training for employees who interact with members.
  • Conducted an employee engagement survey—with an impressive 88% engagement rate—to better understand and respond to employees’ experiences and to continue to foster a culture of employee belonging, well-being, and learning and development.
  • As a learning organization focused on continuous improvement, we launched a Collaboratives Program to unite teams from across the Association, fostering innovation and cross-team learning. The inaugural Data Storytelling Collaborative has been highly successful in helping teams build their data literacy and data storytelling skills.

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A closer look: Support for international medical graduates (IMGs) new to practice in Canada

We engaged with the federal government, provincial & territorial medical associations & federations, and medical regulatory authorities to address barriers IMGs face when integrating into Canadian healthcare.

Published a resource hub for IMGs new to practice in Canada, addressing their specific learning needs from a Canadian medico-legal perspective.

Adapting to the changing healthcare environment through modernization: 2024 highlights

  • Through our learning, advice, and support, we helped a group of physicians keep a medical clinic, on the verge of closing, open in a First Nations community. Working with physicians at the clinic, we supported the development of strategies to address their concerns and created a clear path forward for the clinic.
  • Our Test Results Follow-Up workshop helped physicians build more reliable follow-up systems, lessening administrative worries and improving patient care.
  • Participants in the Patient Safety Primer course for residents reported a marked improvement in their communication skills— including cultural and language sensitivity—promoting an enhanced trust between physicians and patients.

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  • In a historic vote at the 2024 Annual Meeting, members approved all recommended changes to enhance our governance model.
  • Under Council’s leadership, continued work on our comprehensive review of CMPA’s governance model, to modernize our governance and support our agility for continued success in an ever-changing environment.
  • Worked with expert consultants, conducted research, and engaged with members through a member survey and 4 virtual “listening and learning” sessions.
  • Presented the Modernizing CMPA Governance: Governance Review Report [PDF] to members, containing the final recommendations to enhance our governance model.

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  • Maintained the largest collection of physician-based medico-legal data in the world.
  • To support our members’ quality improvement, research, and teaching activities, we responded to 64 member requests for data.
  • Our research on the interpersonal dynamics of the physician-patient relationship was featured in La Presse and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s Dialogue.
  • Developed tailored risk information by specialty in 8 new Know Your Risk reports, including tools to allow members to self-assess their medico-legal risks against their peers.
  • Our 12 peer-reviewed research articles published in 2024 received over 29,000 views.
  • Presented a total of 43 public policy submissions to medical regulatory authorities on topics such as medical assistance in dying (MAID), ethics and responsibility, and AI.

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A closer look: Guidance on AI

Met with the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC) to discuss key challenges and opportunities for AI adoption in clinical settings.

4/5 Colleges who released guidance on AI in 2024 referenced CMPA.

Helped shape the future of AI in healthcare by offering guidance to members on the implementation of emerging technologies, focusing on reducing medico-legal risk and prioritizing safe patient care.

Hosted a webinar: Navigating AI in healthcare

A year in numbers

Medico-legal matters


  • 2024 TOTAL
    ON
    BC/AB
    QC
    SMAT**
    New advice cases





    Advice to members
    21,148
    9,561
    5,079
    4,503
    2,005
    New medico-legal cases





    Legal actions - served1
    659
    303
    174
    94
    88
    Legal actions - not served2
    299
    112
    53
    122
    12
    College (medical regulatory authority) matters
    5,310
    1,435
    1,923
    1,009
    943
    Hospital matters
    2,275
    579
    464
    993
    239
    Paying agency matters
    335
    40
    41
    230
    24
    Other3
    231
    124
    70
    17
    20
    Total
    9,109
    2,593
    2,725
    2,465
    1,326
    Resolved legal actions





    Judgment for plaintiff
    9
    4
    3
    1
    1
    Judgment for physician
    32
    12
    6
    11
    3
    Settled with plaintiff
    324
    146
    68
    75
    35
    Dismissed/discontinued/abandoned
    656
    331
    144
    109
    72
    Total
    1,021
    493
    221
    196
    111

    Notes:

    1. Legal actions – served: means legal action was commenced against a member.
    2. Legal actions – not served: means legal action was threatened. Note: threats may result in a settlement or progress to legal actions – served.
    3. Other: includes human rights complaints, inquests, privacy investigations, and criminal matters.

    ** Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces, and Territories


  • 2020
    2021
    2022
    2023
    2024
    New advice cases





    Advice to members
    23,702
    24,291
    21,149
    20,592
    21,148
    New medico-legal cases





    Legal actions1
    732
    -
    -
    -
    -
    Legal actions - served2
    -
    632
    670
    674
    659
    Legal actions - not served3
    -
    326
    272
    305
    299
    Threats1
    791
    9
    -
    -
    -
    College (medical regulatory authority) matters
    4,183
    4,844
    5,069
    5,135
    5,310
    Hospital matters
    1,773
    2,011
    1,859
    2,064
    2,275
    Paying agency matters
    293
    206
    176
    187
    335
    Other4
    176
    178
    148
    173
    231
    Total new medico-legal cases
    7,948
    8,206
    8,194
    8,538
    9,109
    Resolved legal actions





    Judgment for plaintiff
    8
    11
    8
    13
    9
    Judgment for physician
    29
    30
    26
    33
    32
    Settled with plaintiff
    259
    343
    313
    322
    324
    Dismissed/discontinued/abandoned
    349
    574
    638
    623
    656
    Total resolved legal actions5
    645
    958
    985
    991
    1,021

    Notes:

    1. CMPA migrated to a new client management system in 2021, which classifies medico-legal cases differently. Reclassification of medico-legal cases will be observed, such as legal actions now classified as served and not served.
    2. Legal actions – served: means legal action was commenced against a member.
    3. Legal actions – not served: means legal action was threatened. Note: threats may result in a settlement or progress to legal actions – served.
    4. Other: includes human rights complaints, inquests, privacy investigations, and criminal matters.
    5. Total resolved legal actions: the majority of resolved legal actions include cases commenced before 2023.

Our members

Type of work


42,285 (37%)
Family Medicine Specialists


57,746 (50%)
Royal College Specialists

114,984

Canadian physician members of the CMPA in 2024


14,940 (13%)
Residents


13 (0.01%)
*Other

*Other: This category consists of members working abroad (humanitarian work, teaching, or research).


Age

44,370 40 and under

39%

47,021 41 to 59

41%

23,593 60 and over

20%

By region

  • Region CMPA Members Percentage of membership
    BC/AB 30,639 27%
    SMAT** 15,206 13%
    ON 46,248 40%
    QC 22,891 20%
    ** Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces, and Territories

    Regional distribution of CMPA membership

    ** Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces, and Territories

  • Region Advice matters
    BC/AB 24%
    SMAT** 10%
    ON 45%
    QC 21%
    Total advice cases 21,148
    ** Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces, and Territories

    Advice provided to members by region

    BC/AB: 5,079; SMAT: 2,005; ON: 9,561; QC: 4,503.

    ** Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces, and Territories

  • Region Legal cases (such as civil-legal matters) College matters Hospital matters
    BC/AB 227 1,923 464
    SMAT** 100 943 239
    ON 415 1,435 579
    QC 216 1,009 993
    Total 958 5,310 2,275
    ** Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces, and Territories

    Medico-legal matters by region

    ** Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces, and Territories

Our services

In 2024, we engaged with members 54,516 times on the phone and online in English and French, providing peer support and expert guidance to help physicians navigate medico-legal challenges.

54,516


Medico-legal interactions (new and existing cases)

Medico-legal assistance

Breakdown of 9,109 new medico-legal matters


CMPA Member Portal

226,632

membership-related transactions were supported in 2024 by CMPA’s convenient, online member portal.



58,191

agent-handled portal transactions were expertly managed by our dedicated team who offered personalized assistance in English and French to support more complex inquiries.


168,441

self-service transactions allowed members to access services (e.g. update their member profile) and documents (e.g. Statement of Protection) at their convenience.

Learning


300

learning events delivered across Canada*


53%

of our CPD workshops and presentations were initiated by member requests.

*Includes continuing professional development (CPD) programs, presentations, booths, webinars, and more.

13,150

Canadian physicians, allied healthcare professionals and stakeholders attended CMPA learning events.

181,275

times our digital products—including Electronic Learning Activities, Good Practices, and more—were accessed.

Financial performance

Our financial responsibility

CMPA has a responsibility to maintain sufficient funds to support our physician members and on their behalf, compensate patients proven to have been harmed by negligent care today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

Accordingly, our financial planning horizon is long.

As a not-for-profit mutual medical defense organization, we collect membership fees from physicians each year. On behalf of members, we use our funds to compensate patients proven to be harmed by negligent medical care (fault in Québec), to support members facing medico-legal difficulties, and to advance safe medical care.

The full cost of member protection is paid by member fees (paid individually by each physician member) and the investment income earned by CMPA’s investment portfolio. Each year, we assess the anticipated costs for protection for the coming year and we incorporate our estimated investment income based on our portfolio. Using this information, and other data points, we set member fees, focusing on keeping fees as low as possible. In 2024, we collected fees necessary to protect our members and compensate patients today, tomorrow, and well into the future for all occurrences taking place in 2024. We are committed to limiting the growth of medical liability protection costs as much as possible and strive to use the fees we collect efficiently and responsibly.

2024 membership fees

One of our goals is to maintain relative fee stability, which is determined in part by the performance of our carefully managed investments and market fluctuations. As appropriate, we may lower membership fees when we are in a strong financial position and prudently raise fees when needed.

Understanding fee changes

Membership fees can also fluctuate if the actual costs of protection for any given year are different than the predicted values. Future fees may be adjusted (increased or decreased) to address the difference.

Over the past 10 years, our investment portfolio has generally done very well. This has allowed us to temporarily reduce membership fees by significant amounts in an effort to lower our net asset position. In fact, since 2019, we have provided members with increasingly greater fee credits, which reached their peak in 2023. Over the last 4 years alone, we have given $770 million in fee credits to members, meaning our investment portfolio has paid a large portion of our members’ cost of protection, rather than our members themselves.

Fee reductions over the past 4 years:

  • $99.5 million in 2021
  • $200 million in 2022
  • $362.5 million in 2023
  • $108 million in 2024
Adjusting 2024 membership fees

In 2022, we saw one of the poorest market performances in recent years, leaving us in a lower financial position. At the same time, medico-legal costs increased steadily in almost all regions (with Québec’s costs remaining relatively unchanged). Higher medico-legal costs and lower investments returns meant our overall financial position decreased.

As a result, most 2024 membership fees were increased from their significantly reduced levels in 2023. The exception was Québec, where membership fees remained unchanged. This shift in 2024 fees ensured we could continue to be there for members and patients.

For more information, read our consolidated financial statements and Independent Auditors’ Report.

Compensating patients

On behalf of our members, we provide timely and appropriate compensation to patients proven to have been injured as a result of negligent medical care (fault in Québec). Compensation to patients and the cost of legal services are our largest expenses each year.

We paid a total of $2.5 billion in patient compensation on behalf of our members over the last ten years, or an average of $249 million per year. This is our largest expense.

The following graph highlights patient compensation by region—Consumer price index (CPI) adjusted.

Compensation to patients by fee region - CPI Adjusted

2015 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 43,895,300.60; Ontario: 156,307,252.58; Québec: 23,220,834.17; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 24,823,949.68; Total: 248,247,337.03;

2016 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 63,244,023.90; Ontario: 105,247,537.11; Québec: 24,497,040.61; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 22,553,613.58; Total: 215,542,215.20;

2017 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 42,981,385.32; Ontario: 200,133,357.73; Québec: 40,967,574.06; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 24,614,563.31; Total: 308,696,880.41;

2018 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 78,500,264.19; Ontario: 175,004,555.75; Québec: 23,918,963.72; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 36,901,669.66; Total: 314,325,453.32;

2019 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 42,613,220.11; Ontario: 184,785,214.88; Québec: 19,862,759.59; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 16,754,132.96; Total: 264,015,327.53;

2020 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 62,183,135.93; Ontario: 131,273,767.35; Québec: 26,850,641.39; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 21,373,131.01; Total: 241,680,675.69;

2021 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 86,570,227.16; Ontario: 177,606,503.80; Québec: 22,582,285.97; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 22,478,008.39; Total: 309,237,025.32;

2022 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 83,757,087.71; Ontario: 170,476,772.62; Québec: 23,948,779.21; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 15,945,093.63; Total: 294,127,733.17;

2023 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 83,968,652.02; Ontario: 179,441,663.65; Québec: 24,980,267.06; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 25,069,192.71; Total: 313,459,775.44;

2024 - British Columbia/ Alberta: 66,806,542.52; Ontario: 189,224,476.36; Québec: 49,639,879.51; Saskatchewan/ Manitoba/ Atlantic and Territories: 15,966,642.67; Total: 321,637,541.06;

  •   British Columbia/Alberta
  •   Ontario
  •   Québec
  •   Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories
  •   Total
2015
British Columbia/Alberta 43,895,300.60
Ontario 156,307,252.58
Québec 23,220,834.17
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 24,823,949.68
Total 248,247,337.03
2016
British Columbia/Alberta 63,244,023.90
Ontario 105,247,537.11
Québec 24,497,040.61
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 22,553,613.58
Total 215,542,215.20
2017
British Columbia/Alberta 42,981,385.32
Ontario 200,133,357.73
Québec 40,967,574.06
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 24,614,563.31
Total 308,696,880.41
2018
British Columbia/Alberta 78,500,264.19
Ontario 175,004,555.75
Québec 23,918,963.72
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 36,901,669.66
Total 314,325,453.32
2019
British Columbia/Alberta 42,613,220.11
Ontario 184,785,214.88
Québec 19,862,759.59
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 16,754,132.96
Total 264,015,327.53
2020
British Columbia/Alberta 62,183,135.93
Ontario 131,273,767.35
Québec 26,850,641.39
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 21,373,131.01
Total 241,680,675.69
2021
British Columbia/Alberta 86,570,227.16
Ontario 177,606,503.80
Québec 22,582,285.97
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 22,478,008.39
Total 309,237,025.32
2022
British Columbia/Alberta 83,757,087.71
Ontario 170,476,772.62
Québec 23,948,779.21
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 15,945,093.63
Total 294,127,733.17
2023
British Columbia/Alberta 83,968,652.02
Ontario 179,441,663.65
Québec 24,980,267.06
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 25,069,192.71
Total 313,459,775.44
2024
British Columbia/Alberta 66,806,542.52
Ontario 189,224,476.36
Québec 49,639,879.51
Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic and Territories 15,966,642.67
Total 321,637,541.06

In 2024, on behalf of our members, we paid close to $322 million in compensation to patients proven harmed as a result of negligent medical care (fault in Québec). This amount is $72 million more than our ten-year average (2015-2024).

Read more about compensating patients

Patient compensation costs on behalf of members vary from year to year. Contributing factors include the number of cases settled, the medico-legal outcomes of these cases, and their duration.

In 2024, the almost $322 million in patient compensation was $14 million more than in 2023. This increase was driven by more cases settled at higher values. As compared to the ten-year average, the 2024 average payment per case was higher by 37%.

Insurance protection against unexpected costs

Since there is volatility in outstanding claims and compensation to patients, we have insurance to help protect us from unexpected costs for medico-legal occurrences prior to December 31, 2024. These policies will help us continue to compensate patients and support members even if there is an unexpected increase in medico-legal expenses.

Our investment portfolio

We have a diversified investment portfolio that earns income to ensure we can appropriately compensate patients on behalf of members and fund future medico-legal expenses to support our members.

In 2024, the investment portfolio had a net value of $5.9 billion.

This is an increase of $309 million from 2023. This increase can be attributed to a $583 million investment gain due to an overall increase in financial markets.

Read more about our investment portfolio

The performance objectives of our investment portfolio are to:

  • Match or exceed an investment return of 6% over the long-term to assist physicians, support the medical liability system in Canada, and contribute to safe medical care.
  • Achieve positive value-added returns (over a passive benchmark return) after deducting management fees.

Our investment portfolio consists of both public and private assets. We value our private assets at the lower of original cost or market value. At the end of 2024, we estimated that the fair value of our private assets exceeded their original cost by $1.1 billion. At fair value, our investment portfolio value was $7.0 billion in 2024.

Supporting physicians and patients long-term

The membership fees collected in 2024 will help fund patient compensation and the medico-legal costs of our members well into the future for care provided in 2024.

This long-term horizon demonstrates our commitment to protecting members and their patients long after members retire. This is known as occurrence-based protection. Members are eligible for assistance (and patients are eligible for compensation if proven harmed by negligent medical care) any time in the future if the physician was a CMPA member at the time the care occurred. For example, a retired member could be eligible for assistance related to the care they provided early in their career, provided they were a member at the time.

We must hold adequate funds to compensate patients and support physicians with medico-legal cases for up to 4 decades from the time care was provided.

Our net asset position

Our net asset position is primarily the difference between our investment portfolio (i.e., things that bring money to CMPA) and our provision for future payments (i.e., things that cost CMPA money). It provides a point-in-time measurement that indicates whether we have the required resources to meet our financial obligations, including compensating patients over the next 4 decades.

This amount fluctuates from one year to the next, depending on factors such as investment returns and compensation to patients. We strive to maintain a reasonable net asset position and take a measured approach to temporary shortages or excesses. To manage our financial position over time, we increase or decrease membership fees as needed.

The Association’s net asset position as of December 31, 2024, was $1.1 billion, an increase of $163 million from 2023. This increase was mainly the result of strong investment returns.

Planning for future compensation and physician support

We plan ahead to ensure we have adequate finances to appropriately compensate patients proven to have been harmed by negligent care (fault in Québec) and manage legal and administrative expenses well into the future.

As of December 31, 2024, the estimate for all accumulated outstanding claims was $4.4 billion, an increase of $217 million from December 31, 2023.