 On November 15, 1996, during his first year of medical school, the "Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ)" published a letter to the editor from Gratzer criticizing a June 15, 1996 "CMAJ" report comparing reserve funds held by the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) to those held by medical malpractice insurers in the United States.While in medical school, Gratzer was a regular contributor of opinion columns to "National Post", wrote a weekly opinion column for the "London Free Press" and the "Halifax Sunday Herald", and wrote columns on health care that appeared in several major newspapers and magazines, including the "Toronto Star" and "Ottawa Citizen" and "Calgary Herald".A 1997 Gratzer column "Being a young conservative is nothing to apologize for" said "I am a conservative.