The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) is the principal medico-legal defence organization for physicians practising in Canada. It is not a conventional insurance company. It is a mutual not-for-profit organization, controlled by its physician members, that provides legal representation, indemnification for damages, and risk management resources to most Canadian physicians and surgeons. In medical malpractice litigation in Ontario, the overwhelming majority of physician defendants are represented by CMPA-retained counsel.
The CMPA’s resources and the depth of its experience defending these cases are significant features of the legal landscape on the plaintiff side. CMPA-retained counsel are typically specialized medical defence lawyers, often supported by detailed expert networks and substantial investigative budgets. Plaintiffs and their counsel must approach medical malpractice litigation with the understanding that the defence will be well-funded and experienced.
CMPA membership fees in Ontario are partially reimbursed to physicians through a long-standing arrangement with the Ministry of Health, which has been the subject of periodic public discussion. Whatever one’s view of the policy question, the practical effect on individual claims is that the CMPA is a permanent fixture of medical malpractice practice in Ontario.
Posts tagged CMPA analyze Ontario decisions and broader policy questions involving the CMPA’s role in defending and managing medical malpractice claims.
The Court of Appeal for Ontario upheld a reduced contingency fee in a $12.75 million birth injury settlement and protected the injured child’s identity. The decision restates settled law, and it is a good occasion to explain what it costs a plaintiff’s firm to make a medical malpractice case possible, and why that matters for access to justice.
How to choose, vet and instruct experts in an Ontario medical malpractice case. From Paul’s October 2026 presentation at Osgoode Professional Development’s Anatomy of a Medical Malpractice Case.
A new review in Laws argues that medical schools are not teaching enough law, and that the gap is making patients less safe. The article is European and persuasive only in Ontario, where CanMEDS, the CPSO and the CMPA already supply most of the framework it recommends. The place the diagnosis actually lands is artificial intelligence.
Some of the most common beliefs about medical malpractice in Ontario are simply wrong, and they cut both ways: pushing some people toward hopeless claims and others away from good ones. Here are the misunderstandings I see most often, set against how the law actually works, from what counts as negligence to limitation periods, College complaints, causation, and the cap on damages.
Yes, you can sue for medical malpractice in Ontario. The harder question is whether you should. After two decades of these cases, the candid advice for many prospective clients is to think very carefully before going forward, and in some cases, not to go forward at all.
How plaintiff PI firms build long-term strategy and growth. From the 2026 LIF webinar Defining a Winning Business Strategy for Your PI Firm.
Most medical malpractice consultations in Ontario don’t result in lawsuits. An honest look at the four barriers that shape case evaluation in this province.
Medical malpractice as an intervening act in MVA cases. A Baines v Abounaja analysis from Paul’s 2025 LSO Motor Vehicle Litigation Summit presentation.
How plaintiff-side PI practice works as a business: case screening, partnerships, and resourcing. From a 2024 Legal Innovation Forum panel.
A look at the most recent CMPA and CIHI data on medical malpractice, hospital harm, and what the numbers actually say about patient safety in Canada.
A practical guide to choosing a medical malpractice lawyer in Ontario. Specialization, trial experience, clinical depth, credentials, and honest case screening.
Yes, but the harder question is whether your situation supports a viable claim. An honest threshold assessment for Ontario patients considering legal action.
Free, confidential consultations. Paul reviews every potential case personally and tells you honestly whether it merits investigation.