Gearing up for a Federal Election
BCNU encouraging members to join CFNU campaign highlighting nurses' priorities
From coast to coast to coast, Canadians take pride in our public health-care system, which provides care to any- one who needs it regardless of their ability to pay. While each province and territory administers its own health-care system, federal legislation and funding keeps it universal. That makes health care a key ballot box issue as the country heads into a federal election this year – and means this election is a critical one for BCNU members.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization and warns that underfunding and private sector interests that prioritize profit over patient care are threatening Canada’s public health-care system.
British Columbians know that threat all too well. For more than a decade, Vancouver-based medical doctor Brian Day attempted to use the courts to open the floodgates for private health care in Canada. His legal battle ended in 2023 when the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the constitutionality of the BC Medicare Protection Act, which ensures equitable access to medically necessary services. BCNU was among the initial interveners in the case, fighting to maintain universal health care.
“Private corporations, particularly those in the United States that make enormous profits in health care, see a huge opportunity in Canada’s health-care systems to make money for their investors,” says CFNU President Linda Silas. “We know every dollar that goes to profit is a dollar not spent on care, so it’s a serious threat to universal care for patients across our country.”
As the parties lay out their priorities for the election, BCNU members can and should speak out on issues related to nursing. Nurses know the effects of Canada’s nursing shortage and the privatization of health care better than anyone. They are uniquely positioned to fight for more affordable, accessible and safe long-term care settings.
“Members’ voices should be front and centre in the next federal election because they are subject matter experts,” says BCNU President Adriane Gear. “They have the potential not only to fight back against attacks against public health care but to help build a better public health-care system.”
The need to advocate for more investments in public health care is especially apparent when it comes to affordability. For years, Canada has been the only country in the world with a public health-care system that does not include universal coverage for prescribed medicine. That began to change last year when the federal government passed legislation covering several contraception and diabetes medications, but far more remains to be done to ensure patients have access to all essential medicines. This federal election offers an opportunity for voters to hear from political leaders about whether or not they support public coverage for pharmaceuticals.
The growth of for-profit agency nursing is also a key concern, as it funnels public funding to private corporations, diverting those funds away from public investments in permanent staff. CFNU is calling for solutions including phasing out for-profit nursing agencies, introducing a cap on agency spending and retaining full-time, publicly employed nurses rather than paying premium rates to agencies.
Read more about the drawbacks of for-profit agency nursing here.
Responding to the Rise in Right-Wing Populism
Canada’s political landscape has changed significantly since the election of Donald Trump in the US. In addition to the serious economic impacts that continue to unfold, the new administration’s approach has emboldened voices of intolerance, threatening progress related to diversity, equity and inclusion – core BCNU principles.
Even before the results of the 2024 US election were clear, forces advancing a racist, anti-2SLGBTQ+ agenda were coming to the forefront in BC, spouting ideologies totally in conflict with BCNU’s organizational values. The 2024 Conservative provincial election campaign pledged to roll back reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and supports related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Unfortunately, these attacks continue.
At the federal level, when a voter asked Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre what he thought about diversity, equity and inclusion at an event in 2023, he responded, “It’s all garbage.” Poilievre also made anti-2SLGBTQ+ comments Amnesty International Canada characterized as “shameful rhetoric,” causing the human rights organization to state that it “whole-heartedly condemns any attempt to scapegoat members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community to score political points.”
“It’s concerning to see the growth of intolerance and hate among some of our political leaders and in our public discourse in Canada,” says BCNU Vice President Tristan Newby, who also serves as the union’s provincial lobby coordinator. “Political leaders of all stripes should be united in condemning discrimination in all its forms, but unfortunately some are embracing it.”
BCNU takes a non-partisan approach to elections, though it does not shy away from looking critically at how the policies and records of political leaders measure up to the union’s values.
BCNU’s regional lobby coordinators played a key role in the 2024 provincial election, engaging with candidates from all political parties to highlight members’ priorities. As the union’s point people on political action, they are poised to lead regional engagement in the federal election as well, connecting with candidates and encouraging members to be active participants in the election to push for a stronger public health-care system.
“Political leaders of all stripes should be united in condemning discrimination in all its forms, but unfortunately some are embracing it.”
- BCNU Vice President Tristan Newby
“Our lobby coordinators are working diligently in their regions to make sure policymakers and the public are paying attention to issues that are important to nurses and the patients we serve,” says Newby. “Their efforts are key to our success and will be even more effective if our members everywhere are engaged and help to reinforce our priorities in their communities.”
CFNU has launched a new website at allforcare.ca, highlighting federal election issues that are important for nurses. BCNU encourages members to use this website as a reference for health-care priorities, sign up for its email list and use the “take action” tool to send email messages to party leaders about the need to strengthen the health-care system.
“We’re asking voters to go all in on in this campaign by fighting for nurses, defending public health care and protecting patients,” says Silas. “The election is too important for nurses to sit on the sidelines. We need to speak out loud and clear to political leaders and the public as champions of public health care, ensuring every person can receive the care they need.”
Learn more at allforcare.ca •
UPDATE (Spring 2025)