Due to PARIM’s ongoing response to COVID-19 as well as our recent initiation of contract negotiations, current PARIM President Dr. Joshua Aquin has agreed to stand for nomination for a second term. No other nominations for president-elect were received.
As a result, the election of PARIM’s President-Elect will occur as a confidence vote, beginning on March 17th, 2021. A statement from Dr. Aquin is below:
Dear Colleagues,
It has been my sincere privilege to represent and advocate for residents this past year. With the unwavering support of PARIM’s staff, Executive and Board of Directors, we have worked to stand up for residents through all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it was ensuring access to PPE, enforcing contract rules or finding ways to get you home to visit your family, the PARIM team has heard your concerns and worked to find solutions. Our successes with many of these initiatives are a testament to PARIM’s dedication and passion for being the voice of Manitoba’s residents.
As you are all aware; however, residency is gruelling at its baseline. When this rigorous training becomes coupled with harassment, mistreatment, racism, sexism, chronically ignored contract rules and a culture of hostility to those who speak out against these, we all lose. Being “resilient” is not the solution to systemic problems we all know exist. We must instead tackle the root causes head-on.
For this reason, I humbly seek your approval to continue as President of PARIM for a second (and final) term. The 2021-2022 year has within it two key opportunities to address systemic issues affecting residents. The first is renegotiation of our Collective Agreement, utilizing the detailed feedback you provided in the contract survey to direct our work. The second is PGME Accreditation, allowing a unique chance for residents to speak out against concerns and push for change. With careful yet persistent advocacy, I believe we can make lasting improvements to residency training in this province.
I do not pretend to have all of the answers, nor can I guarantee success. I can however promise that I will utilize all that I have learned this year, the expertise of the PARIM team, and your continued feedback to guide my efforts. I will continue to invest the time and energy needed to ensure residents’ voices are heard at all levels.
Thank you for both the opportunity and privilege of representing you.
Respectfully yours,
Dr. Joshua Aquin, President, PARIM