2025 Federal Election Platform

Establish and fund the development of a national licensure framework to facilitate interjurisdictional mobility of nurses, reducing administrative burden and improving health system effectiveness and efficiency.
Amid ongoing U.S.-Canada trade tensions, strengthening Canada’s internal economy by eliminating costly regulatory barriers restricting labour mobility is more critical than ever. A streamlined, national approach to nursing licensure will enhance workforce flexibility, enabling nurses to provide care where they are needed most. This will also enhance timely and equitable access to care, particularly in rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities.

Support ethical international recruitment practices and streamline credential recognition processes for internationally educated nurses (IENs).
Canada must ensure recruitment practices do not destabilize global health systems while ethically integrating qualified IENs into the workforce. Timely and simplified credential assessment and recognition will help address nursing shortages and contribute to the capacity of the nursing workforce. Once IENs are licensed or registered by Canadian jurisdictions and ready to enter the workforce, jurisdictions should be held accountable for IEN workforce retention based on nursing workforce data standards and performance targets.

Embed the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) role within Health Canada’s organizational structure, regardless of the government in power. The CNO should be placed at an Assistant Deputy Minister-level with the authority and budget allocation to support comprehensive national nursing policy and initiatives.
The CNO role has not been consistently maintained within Health Canada and has been added and deleted several times. The CNO’s mandate is essential for successive federal governments to bend the cost curve and implement pan-Canadian nursing workforce reforms, including improved workforce planning, integrated data systems, increased labour mobility, and reduced interjurisdictional regulatory burden. The CNO also co-chairs the federal/provincial/territorial principal nursing advisors task force, which unifies national nursing leadership to drive towards a more integrated health workforce strategy across Canada.

Ensure federal health funding supports evidence-based nurse retention strategies that improve working conditions and address factors contributing to nurse turnover.
Dedicated and predictable investments, alongside accountability measures, will help strengthen workforce stability and sustain a high-quality, publicly funded health system. The promising and proven strategies in Health Canada’s Nursing Retention Toolkit, which was co-developed by the Chief Nursing Officer of Canada in collaboration with nursing organizations and nurse experts, provide a solid blueprint.

Protect universal access to health care by ensuring the sustainability of Canada’s publicly funded system
Federal health-care funding priorities should focus on creating permanent, publicly funded nursing positions to promote lasting workforce stability and reduce reliance on temporary and private agency staffing. These investments will limit the growth of privately delivered health services that undermine equitable access and nursing retention. Sustainable and predictable funding, alongside long-term commitments, will strengthen Canada’s publicly funded health system and improve patient experience and outcomes.

Continue strengthening Canada’s health workforce integrated data systems through sustained investments in Health Workforce Canada and using forecasting and scenario planning to respond to population health needs.
Building on existing efforts, establishing a unique identifier for all types of regulated nurses will improve workforce planning and health workforce modeling, predictions, and scenario planning. A robust, data-driven approach will optimize the use of existing health-care professionals and reduce the risks of unethical international recruitment.

Strengthen rural, northern, remote, and Indigenous health services by expanding digital health solutions and ensuring equitable access to virtual care while continuing to support nursing services, which are critical to these communities.
Given the higher reliance on nursing services in rural, northern, remote, and Indigenous communities, sustained investment in nurses’ roles in designing, leading, and evaluating digital health-care transformation will help improve access to culturally safe care and address longstanding health disparities.

Enhance equitable access to essential health services, including prescription medications, dental care, vision care, and mental health support.
Improved access to these health services contributes directly to effective primary care, better patient outcomes, and a more efficient, sustainable health system.

Support provinces and territories to comply with the Canada Health Act Services Policy and fully integrate nurse practitioners in primary care.
The federal government should collaborate closely with provinces and territories to support the expansion of publicly funded nurse practitioner positions, integrating the rapidly growing supply of nurse practitioners and ensuring timely, equitable access to primary care for all Canadians, especially in rural, northern, and remote communities. This must include a public communication strategy that educates Canadians on nurse practitioners’ value and impact.

Expand the list of health-care providers authorized to certify the federal Disability Tax Credit (DTC) form by including all nurses, to increase timely access for patients and reduce administrative barriers.
Nurses play a critical role in patient care and are often the primary point of contact for individuals managing disabilities and chronic conditions. Allowing nurses to certify the DTC would ensure quicker access to financial support for eligible individuals, streamline the process, ease administrative burdens on other health-care professionals, and improve overall health system efficiency.

Incentivize jurisdictions to implement, evaluate, and scale up innovative team-based and nurse-led models of care that improve access and quality.
Optimizing the nursing workforce and challenging the status quo within health systems will improve access to care, reduce costs, and ensure that all health-care professionals work to their full potential. This approach will help achieve the best possible outcomes for public investments in health care while bending the cost curve.

Standardize nursing education program data and increase federal funding for nursing education seats, specialty nursing programs, and continuing education.
As outlined in Health Canada’s Caring for Canadians: The Canadian Health Workforce Education, Training and Distribution Study, standardized data by nursing designation is essential to forecast workforce supply-demand gaps. A solid foundation of data on all types of nursing students enrolled in education programs, combined with robust data on the entire regulated nursing workforce should inform workforce modelling to make future projections for nursing supply, distribution, specialty nursing practice, and continuing education requirements.

Expand nursing practice specialties and advanced practice nursing roles and promote the importance of nursing specialty certification credentials.
For decades, the growth of advanced practice nursing and nursing practice specialties has been demonstrated by evidence that these qualifications achieve better patient outcomes, improve access to expert care, and strengthen the capacity of Canada’s nursing workforce. As the federal government focuses on labour mobility and credential recognition, the impact and value of these nurse experts with specialty certification should be promoted and required.

Recognize the essential leadership of nurses in the design, implementation, and oversight of advanced technologies, including the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital health solutions.
As trusted health professionals, nurses should actively shape AI governance frameworks, develop regulatory standards, and drive ethical and practical integration of AI into health care. With deep expertise in patient care, nurses are ideally positioned to assess the real-world impact of AI-driven tools, contribute to post-market surveillance, and advocate for patient-centered, safe, and secure advanced technology adoption.

Enforce existing federal legislation to protect nurses and all health workers from workplace harassment and violence, with a strong focus on accountability and compliance.
As incidents continue to rise, protections must be adequately funded, implemented, evaluated, and monitored to reverse this trend and restore safety for both workers and patients. Strategies must also include accountability measures such as public reporting and public education.

Advance cultural safety and anti-racism initiatives within the health system by investing in policies and programs that promote culturally safe care – particularly for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (FNIM) patients and adequate support for FNIM nurses.
Federal leadership is essential in ensuring that health-care environments are free from racism, discrimination, and systemic barriers, particularly in federally regulated health services. This also includes supporting the growth of the Indigenous health workforce through directed funding. Continued action is needed to implement the health-related Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, ensuring meaningful progress toward reconciliation and equitable access to care for FNIM Peoples. This includes a new commitment to funding the Indigenous Research Chairs in Nursing.

Fund nursing leadership development programs, particularly for ‘point of care’ managers, to promote healthy, safe, and resilient workplaces and advancements in nursing practice.
Federal investment in leadership training will equip nurses with the skills and qualifications needed to drive system improvements, redesign models of care, and strengthen workforce retention. Bolstering nursing leadership, including clinical nursing leadership by advanced practice nurses (clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners) and specialty nurse experts, has proven to achieve better outcomes at lower costs.

Provide federal funding for mental health supports and services tailored specifically for nurses and scale up adoption of proven programs (e.g., British Columbia’s Care for Caregivers or Ontario’s Frontline Wellness programs).
Eliminate duplication of federal initiatives and establish a federal task force to identify, implement, evaluate, and monitor solutions that address nurses’ mental health and well-being and reduce the impacts of moral distress.

Prioritize social determinants of health by supporting policies that enhance affordability, housing stability, and economic security.
Rising living costs, housing challenges, and food insecurity can contribute to poorer health outcomes. The federal government, in collaboration with provinces, territories, and other partners, can help identify coordinated approaches that support population health and well-being, including strategies that better align housing, social supports, and health-care services.

Strengthen oversight and response strategies for climate-related health risks, ensuring communities are equipped to address the health impacts of extreme weather, air pollution, and environmental degradation.
The federal government must improve national coordination on heat-related illnesses, wildfires, and vector-borne diseases by supporting climate-resilient health infrastructure, emergency preparedness planning, and integrated responses.

Fund green projects supporting the transition to environmentally sustainable health-care facilities and climate resilience.
The health sector significantly contributes to carbon emissions, environmental waste, and related costs. The federal government needs to evaluate the impact of previous investments and ensure provinces, territories, and organizations continue adopting sustainable technologies and procurement policies, enhance energy efficiency, and move toward greener infrastructure with net-zero emissions in Canada’s health-care facilities.

Increase investments in mental health care, addiction services, and harm reduction programs, and modernize legislation and regulation to address both the mental health and opioid crises.
Registered psychiatric nurses have been a vital part of Western Canada’s health system for over a century, while specialty/certified nurses in psychiatric mental health and/or addictions work in other provinces and territories. Psychotherapy must be consistently regulated across provinces and territories to allow labour mobility and bend the cost curve. CNA stands with the Canadian Mental Health Association in calling on the federal government to provide permanent, sustainable funding for mental health, addiction, and substance use health services. We also urge an amendment to the Canada Health Act to correct the longstanding structural gap that excludes many mental health services from consistent coverage under federal health legislation.

Strengthen Canada’s national disease surveillance system by enhancing real-time data collection, interjurisdictional coordination, and early detection of public health threats.
Improving federal, provincial, and territorial collaboration will enable a faster, more proactive response to vaccine hesitancy, emerging infectious diseases, and public health emergencies while also supporting better tracking and management of chronic diseases—the leading driver of health system costs. Potential savings could be reinvested into public health systems for increased programming and public health nursing positions.

To protect seniors and vulnerable populations during future public health crises, workplace excellence programs such as the CNA Stellar certification must be implemented.
Promoting workplace safety, designing the right mix of nursing expertise and roles, supporting nurses’ development through education and professional development, and ensuring an inclusive workforce that reflects Canada’s diverse population will improve resilience in long-term care settings, ensuring they are better prepared for future public health crises.

Federal leadership and funding are required to combat health misinformation and disinformation by supporting national public health campaigns and nurse-led education initiatives.
Equipping nurses with the tools and training to counter false information will enhance public health literacy, build trust in evidence-based care, reduce vaccine hesitancy, and improve health outcomes.

Bolster Canada’s health supply chain resilience to ensure readiness for future public health emergencies and geopolitical tensions.
Now more than ever, a unified approach is needed to secure domestic manufacturing capacity, improve distribution systems, and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. In light of U.S.-Canada geopolitical tensions, Canada must boost self-sufficiency to protect national interests and ensure equitable access—especially for rural, northern, remote, and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.