The Manning Centre for Building Democracy's second annual networking conference and exhibition is being billed as an opportunity for right-wing to "learn more about your fellow activists and conservative-oriented organizations from across the country." So some might find it passingly odd Canadian Medical Association president Brian Day is scheduled to join former Ontario premier Mike Harris as part of a issues management panel discussing "strategy for the conservative movement on healthcare."

Asked for comment, Canadian Doctors for Medicare director Margaret McGregor noted the association bills itself as being non-partisan. And "this can be accomplished either through attending no partisan events or all partisan events hosted by all movements and parties. So I now assume the Canadian Medical Association has decided to do the later - that he'll speak at anything and everything."

Dr. McGregor also added, "the appropriateness of" of Dr. Day's participation at the conference "depends on what he says....And I would expect his remarks to reflect" the results of a recent online member consultation survey confirming 60 percent of physicians "believe our current mix of public funding should either be maintained or the public portion expanded."