Dr. Alika Lafontaine is an anesthesiologist, author, and past president of the Canadian Medical Association. He is of mixed Métis, Oji-Cree, and Pacific Islander ancestry. In 2022, he became the first Indigenous and youngest physician to lead the CMA (Canadian Medical Association) in its more than 150-year history.
Learn more about Dr. Lafontaine’s work on his website: https://alikamd.com/
An Action Canada Fellow (2013), Alika co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance from 2013 to 2017, one of the most ambitious Indigenous health transformation initiatives in Canadian history. The alliance represented more than 150 First Nations across three provinces and successfully advocated for $68 million in federal funding for Indigenous health transformation in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. The work was recognized by the Public Policy Forum, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presenting the award.
Alika was named Maclean’s top Health Care Innovator of 2023 and is the first Indigenous physician listed in Medical Post’s 50 Most Powerful Doctors. His first book, The Outrage Cure (HarperCollins Canada, 2026), traces the emotional progression from anger through outrage to indifference, and the path back to purpose for fractured relationships and institutions alike.
Across two decades of advocacy and leadership, his work has treated the public service as the partner without which national change in Canada is not possible.
He continues to practice anesthesiology in Northern Alberta and serves as Indigenous Advisor in Residence at the Canadian Medical Association.