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CMAJ addressing the appropriateness of physician staffing of a Quebec emergency department. 1 The editorial considered implications for patient care and the resultant provincial legislation mandating certain physicians to report to the emergency department for periods of duty as specified by chief hospital administrators. In a response on Oct. 29 in CMAJ, Dana Hanson, President of the Canadian Medical Association, suggested that the editorial had “serious flaws,” and went further to indicate that the editorial’s conclusion was “repugnant” and called for a retraction. 2 Other comments by members of the CMA board and provincial associations conveyed to the editor indicated that the editorial was unacceptable.

These actions are a threat to the editorial independence of the journal and represent a clear and present danger. As the principal peer-reviewed national medical publication in Canada, CMAJ provides a unique and independent forum for high-quality peer-reviewed work and an opportunity for debate and dialogue around central issues relevant to health policy, medical practitioners, other health care providers and a general public readership. Arising from this independence and the competence and integrity of the editorial staff comes well-deserved trust and respect. Excellent journals should be at the heart of medical debate and provide thoughtful, informed synthesis and both balanced and prudent opinion. Whether or not one agrees with the opinions stated in the Sept. 17 editorial is not the fundamental issue here: rather, it is the right to articulate such an opinion without concern for retribution by an organization or corporation that holds …