While Canadian health ministers meet in Halifax Jan. 29-30, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has spokespersons available to share nurses’ perspectives on strengthening Canada’s health care system, including team-based care, cutting down on admin tasks, and making the most of health professionals’ skills to improve patient access. They are also available to comment on the recent … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) welcomes the release of the federal government’s interpretation letter on the Canada Health Act, noting that the modernization of the Canada Health Act highlights the “[…]need to fully optimize the contributions of nurse practitioners within Canada’s health-care system.” CNA president Dr. Kimberly LeBlanc commented “This interpretation letter reflects the urgent need to evolve our health-care policies to … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and the Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Nursing extend their gratitude to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) for his contributions to health and health care during his tenure. They stated, “Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership included significant efforts to address some of Canada’s most pressing health challenges. His government prioritized … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) hosted its annual Hill Day today. Hill Day unites nursing representatives from across the country to meet directly with federal lawmakers, advocating for policies that “improve health system efficiency, invest in the nursing workforce, and optimize the profession’s role in delivering care.” CNA President Kimberly LeBlanc commented, “This event is a critical opportunity … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association and the Harm Reduction Nurses Association released an open letter to Health Minister Mark Holland (Ajax, Ont.) and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Ya’ara Saks (York Centre, Ont.) on harm reduction: “Evidence is clear that harm reduction practices save lives and have clear benefit. However, recently some reports have conflated … Read more
At the Council of Federation meeting, Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) president Kimberly LeBlanc called on Canada’s premiers to “[…]accelerate health reforms that broaden nurses’ scope of practice.” She elaborated, “‘Canadians face growing challenges to accessing health care. The leadership shown by provincial and territorial premiers in cutting red tape around health practitioners’ scope of practice is … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association and board of directors announced Dr. Valerie Grdisa, RN, PhD, as new CEO effective July 8, 2024. “Her vast experience provides a unique understanding of our federal/provincial/territorial health-care landscape coast to coast to coast that will guide CNA’s strategic goals,” said CNA president Sylvain Brousseau. CNA would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Tim … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association believes the 2024 federal budget sends mixed signals about the current health crisis characterized by critical nursing shortages and eroding access to primary care. CNA welcomes key investment in Indigenous health, and applauds the federal government’s commitments towards the social determinants of health, such as the national school food program and housing … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) celebrated the release of the Nursing Retention Toolkit: Improving the Working Lives of Nurses in Canada. During the October 2023 health ministers’ meeting, provinces and territories agreed to help disseminate it to support employers in their retention efforts. CNA urges organizations to use the toolkit to adopt evidence-based retention strategies … Read more
The Canadian Nurses Association says that the federal-provincial-territorial meeting of health ministers in Charlottetown, P.E.I., is an example of the growing momentum to fix health care. The CNA also commented on the Oct. 10 announcement that British Columbia has finalized a bilateral health spending agreement with the federal government: “CNA is pleased to see B.C.’s … Read more
