Danforth shooting surgeon target of criticism
Physicians’ college flooded with complaints over gun control message
A Toronto trauma surgeon arguing for stricter gun control is being targeted by a national firearm lobby that has flooded Ontario’s physicians’ regulator with dozens of complaints about her. Dr. Najma Ahmed, who was on call at St. Michael’s Hospital following the Danforth mass shooting, is co-chair of an advocacy group called Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns. The group of doctors came together in February to argue that guns are a public health issue, and to push for the passage of Bill C-71, a bill to reform Canada’s gun laws.
The lobby group the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights last month posted a “call to action” urging members to flood the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario with complaints against Ahmed, even if they have never been her patient. The post provides a stepby-step guide on how to do this, complete with a link to the complaint form.
“I hate to say it, but stay in your lane, Doctor,” the post reads.
Since then, the College has received about 70 complaints, spokesperson Shae Greenfield said, adding this kind of complaint is very unusual.
Throughout her career, Ahmed said she has seen gunshot wounds kill many mostly young and healthy people.
Guns are “highly violent instruments that are intended to kill and maim animals and people,” she told the Star, adding she has seen the damage bullets can cause to the human body. “They act like small metal mis- siles, and they tear apart the organs and tissues and blood vessels and they do enormous harm.”
Ahmed said she finds the gun group’s tactics “a little underhanded and disappointing.”
She said she was at first taken aback by the campaign, but has been elated by the response from her colleagues. “I await a final decision by the CPSO, and of course will respect the process that they have undertaken,” she said.
In a statement, Dr. Nancy Whitmore, registrar and CEO at the College, said its mandate is to focus on complaints around clinical care or professional behaviour.
“The CPSO’s role is not to resolve political disagreements when clinical care/outcomes or professional conduct is not in question.
“We recognize that physicians can play an important role by advocating for system-level change in a socially accountable manner,” she said.
Like all complaints, she said, the ones stemming from the gun group’s campaign are being reviewed by a committee that will determine whether they are frivolous and vexatious.
The call for doctors to “stay in your lane” has been used in the U.S. by members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) to call out doctors who speak out about gun control.
Rod Giltaca, CEO and executive director of the CCFR, said the language didn’t come from any direct communication with the NRA, and that his group doesn’t receive any funding from them. Instead, he said, funding comes from licensed gun owners who feel stricter gun laws infringe on their rights.
Giltaca has also appeared in a CCFR video reiterating his message that physicians need to back off. He told the Star he uses that language because “the doctors who are experts at treating gunshot wounds have now declared themselves experts on the firearm file.”
The group singled out Ahmed, he said, because she’s the public face of the campaign, adding, he “doesn’t know why that’s unreasonable.”
“This isn’t seatbelts or smoking, this is a very complex social issue, really complex, and it has to do with the charter, it has to do with a lot of things, it has to do with the fact that people can peacefully possess things,” he added.
“We’re not bad people, we just want these people to leave us alone.”
Ahmed said doctors are not experts in legislation and lawmakers will decide what’s best. Her role is to inform policymakers, she said.
Physicians, she said, “have had a long tradition of advocating for the public good,” on things like sanitary water conditions, nicotine, and vaccinations.
“In many instances, this harm, injury and death could have been avoided with stricter legislation governing civilian access to guns.” she said.
“We recognize that physicians can play an important role by advocating for system-level change in a socially accountable manner.” DR. NANCY WHITMORE CEO AT COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO