President's Message
VOTE LIKE YOUR HEALTH DEPENDS ON IT
BC’s provincial election is now over, and health care was one of the top issues for voters. For nurses, it’s important to elect candidates who are committed to investing in our public health-care system and who reject proposals for privatization and cuts.
That’s why your voice matters. Elections are an opportunity for BCNU members to shape the future of our province. When nurses speak, people listen. Ahead of this provincial election, nurses were encouraged talk to family members, friends and neighbours about their experience and make sure they are aware of the severe staffing shortages that are closing emergency rooms, cancelling surgeries, impacting care delivery, and leaving seniors alone without adequate care.
To support this effort, we produced a pamphlet to help start conversations about the health policy priorities that matter to nurses. The latest issue of Update Magazine contained five pamphlets. Translated versions in Punjabi, Filipino and Simplified Chinese were also available. Learn more about BCNU election priorities on our provincial election webpage.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
One of the highest priorities for BCNU is the implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. To-date, the investment in this effort has been significant. The government has committed $750 million over three years, with $300 million allocated for 2025/26, and an ongoing commitment to bolster the nursing workforce. This includes $100 million to support nurse retention strategies and up to $30,000 in recruitment incentives in areas with the highest need. We continue to work with the Ministry of Health and provincial health employers to implement hospital-based ratios. Joint union-employer regional implementation committees have now been established to closely monitor and evaluate progress and our working groups are now developing similar frameworks for the community and long-term care sectors. And we’re connecting with voters through our major public awareness campaign to educate people about the positive impact minimum nurse-to-patient ratios will have on health care in BC. Encourage your friends and family to visit www.ratiossavelives.ca to learn more.
It is important to be wary of platforms that would expand the role of private, for-profit health care in BC. Privatization would only take us in the opposite direction. Every dollar corporations make from our health-care system is a dollar taken away from the patient in need of the care nurses and other health-care professionals provide to them in hospitals, long-term care homes and in the community. Rather than draining resources and staff from the public system that serves all British Columbians, we need solutions that ensure the system can provide high-quality care to everyone when they need it. Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios are on track to help make that a reality.
UPHOLDING OUR VALUES
It was also concerning to hear some candidates talking about moving our province backward on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act passed unanimously in the BC Legislature in 2019 and was a significant step in the right direction. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs calls the idea of repealing it “dangerous.”
There is also a danger in progress being rolled back on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) initiatives in schools, as well as women’s reproductive rights. BC has made progress recently in these areas. The government’s endorsement of the SOGI 123 resource has been important to help address discrimination and bullying, creating a supportive and inclusive environment in schools for LGBTQ students. And in 2023 the province made contraceptives free for all residents, a change that was long overdue.
NURSES’ VOTES COUNT
In solidarity,
Adriane Gear
President, BC Nurses' Union