CMA Taken Seriously By Ottawa's Decision Makers

Toronto, ON - An Ipsos-Reid study conducted on behalf of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) shows that the CMA is a top-rated national association among many senior decision makers (including Members of Parliament and Senators, political staff, and "senior bureaucrats") in Ottawa.

When it comes to influence on national issues, the CMA receives very high ratings from senior decision makers with 79% rating the CMA as very (34%) or somewhat (46%) influential in its respective area.

In terms of impact, the majority of senior decision makers (74%) say that the CMA has either a very high (19%) or a somewhat high impact (54%) on government policy.

Areas in which the CMA leads other national associations include:

• Familiarity: 73% of senior decision-makers say that they are very (28%) or somewhat familiar (45%) with the CMA;

• Credibility: Seven in ten senior decision-makers rate the CMA as very (28%) or somewhat (42%) credible;

• Favourable Opinion: 57% of senior decision-makers say that they have a very (16%) or somewhat (41%) favourable opinion of the CMA; and

• Objectivity of Information: the majority of senior decision-makers (55%) say the CMA's information that CMA provides is very (16%) or somewhat (39%) objective.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Canadian Medical Association poll conducted between January 20 and February 18, 2005. Telephone interviews were conducted among a random selection of 162 senior decision-makers from all political parties and federal departments including: 38 Members of Parliament and Senators, 37 political staff and 87 "senior bureaucrats." With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1777.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Please open the attached PDFs to view the factum and detailed tables.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Mike Colledge
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900