Doctor who criticized Gaza comments quits position

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This article was published 11/07/2024 (631 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — A medical association president says he was pushed to resign after he publicly denounced a controversial speech by a University of Manitoba valedictorian.

Dr. Matthew Bzura says he stepped down as president of the Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Manitoba after officials offloaded his responsibilities and stripped him of one of his titles.

“If you are considering removing somebody from office, you should advise them of performance issues and give them the opportunity to get better,” Bzura told the Winnipeg Free Press Wednesday.

Bzura announced his resignation from the PARIM executive board in an open letter on social media.

“PARIM officials demanded that I resign and threatened to take further action if I did not,” Bzura wrote in a letter, dated Tuesday.

Bzura denounced a speech made by Dr. Gem Newman during the Max Rady College of Medicine’s convocation in a social media post on May 23. He called the newly minted doctor’s words “inappropriate, divisive and absent of nuanced contextual history.”

During his speech, Newman made reference to Israel’s “deliberate targeting” of Palestinian hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, precipitated by the terror group’s attacks on Israeli settlements on Oct. 7.

Bzura said he lodged a complaint against Newman with the college’s office of professionalism.

“Freedom of expression does not equate to freedom from consequence,” Bzura wrote, alleging Newman breached various policies related to professional behaviour and social media use during his 10-minute address.

Following Bzura’s post, the PARIM board held a meeting to discuss his future. Bzura said the union’s past-president called him last month and asked him to voluntarily resign from the role, to which he declined.

A June 8 email sent to Bzura from PARIM states he was in clear contravention of the strategy agreed upon by the executive regarding current geopolitical events as well as the code of conduct signed by all association residents regarding unauthorized representation of the association.

Bzura was removed as secretary (his role prior to becoming president-elect) at an emergency board meeting on June 24.

A referendum to decide whether to keep Bzura as PARIM president was planned for August, but the doctor resigned instead. He said the association has bigger things to worry about, as the union is currently in contract negotiations with Shared Health.

“Instead of focusing on negotiating … the focus would be on me, and I did not feel comfortable with that,” he said.

Bzura became president-elect of PARIM in March and was to take over officially on July 1. An authorized spokesperson for PARIM said in an email Bzura voluntarily submitted his resignation as president on Tuesday, and it was accepted by the board of directors. The association declined further comment.

Paul Edwards, Bzura’s lawyer in the leadup to the June 24 meeting with the PARIM executive, asked to be part of the meeting but was denied.

“It was clear there was an effort to have him leave (the position), and if he didn’t leave, his authorities and powers would be minimized … the goal was to isolate and neutralize him,” Edwards said.

In a letter sent to PARIM residents, which was obtained by the Free Press, the association said its board of directors “received and reviewed a complaint made against Bzura … by another resident.”

“The board determined that the allegations were of such a serious nature that, if accepted, could lead to the removal of Dr. Bzura from the board,” the letter says, adding the board asked members to review the complaint and vote upon whether he should be removed as president.

Bzura says he felt obligated to respond to the speech, in part because Newman mentioned PARIM when he accused multiple Canadian medical associations of failing to use their platform to call an “immediate and lasting” ceasefire in Gaza.

“What I don’t regret is taking a principled stance in opposition to a speech that divided our community,” Bzura said. “That speech was received by a good portion of the community as hurtful and alienating and isolating.”

The U of M’s president and various philanthropists who have donated to the university have complained about Newman’s remarks, including Ernest Rady, whose father is the namesake of the university’s medical school.

Bzura said his removal from the board should have been a last resort.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to do it for any board member, but certainly not for the president-elect who is tasked with the responsibility of leading this big organization,” he said.

Newman declined to comment on Wednesday, saying he had no prior interaction with Bzura.

The PARIM executive has since elected Dr. Betty Hui Yu Zhang as acting president. Elections for the position of president will be held in the coming months.

» Winnipeg Free Press