Letter: Nurses' demands to Canada's government re. catastrophic health care conditions in Gaza

September 26, 2025

The Right Honourable Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada

Subject: Nurses’ demands to Canada’s government re. catastrophic health care conditions in Gaza

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) continues to raise alarm concerning the ongoing bombardment and humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. The recent findings of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry have made it clear: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. We commend your recent confirmation of Canada’s support for a two-state solution, and we urge you to continue to do all you can through every economic and political mechanism possible. The Canadian government cannot be complacent, and we need to see a clear and uncompromising response.

The CFNU stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine and the health care workers trying to serve the population in extremely dangerous situations. The World Health Organization has reported 735 attacks on health care in Gaza from October 2023 to June 2025, and these attacks have affected 125 health facilities and damaged 34 hospitals. The world is witnessing the utter destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, and no hospital or medical facility has been spared.

We have just learnt of the killing of Dr. Mohammed Akram Al-Kafarneh, head of the Palestinian Nursing Association in the Gaza Strip and chief nursing supervisor at Kamal Adwan Medical Complex. We hear this devasting news along with the knowledge of widespread reports that in Gaza, finding food, water and essential supplies for their own survival is a daily struggle for nurses. According to the Palestinian Nursing and Midwifery Association, a member of the International Council of Nurses, nurses in Gaza and the West Bank have not been paid their salaries since the beginning of the war, yet they continue to serve their patients and communities with tremendous workloads and little access to resources.

The United Nations reports that public health conditions in Gaza are catastrophic, hospitals are operating far beyond capacity, and some life-saving medicines are totally out of stock, all while deaths from malnutrition and disease are on the rise. Fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals and under 38 per cent of primary health care centres are even partially functioning.

Canada’s nurses are demanding your government to do far more to resolve the crisis.

Actions you can take include:

• Immediately impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel.
• Formally recognize a Palestinian State, without predicating recognition on terms impossible to be met by Palestinians.
• Canada must do more to achieve a ceasefire and end violations of international law, including through arms transfers either directly to Israel or through another country.
• Cancel the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA).
• Publicly call on the Israeli government to immediately reverse the ban on UNRWA and to ensure unhindered access to deliveries of humanitarian services and supplies to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
• End Canada’s diplomatic and economic support for apartheid in Israel.

The CFNU urges our government to use its influence on the international stage to uphold international law by demanding an immediate ceasefire, supporting the release of all hostages by October 7, timely release of political prisoners, and push for a lasting peace based on adherence with international law. Canada needs to show leadership and issue a strong condemnation of hate in all its forms, including islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism and antisemitism.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your fulsome response.

Sincerely,
Linda Silas, CFNU President