Nurses demand federal action to solve national health crisis

Silas: The health care crisis is not a local issue – it’s a national crisis, and it demands bold leadership from the federal government

February 4, 2026 (Ottawa, ON) – Nurse union leaders from across the country descended on Parliament Hill for the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions’ (CFNU) Lobby Day about the key challenges facing nurses across the country. In more than 25 meetings with MPs and senators, nurses pressed for the federal government to meaningfully solve the national health care crisis.

“Every day, nurses face violence, unsafe staffing and health care system that continues to ask for more from health care workers while giving less. The health care crisis is not a local issue – it’s a national crisis that demands federal leadership,” explained CFNU President Linda Silas. “Working together across jurisdictions is critical to improving health care working conditions and solving this crisis.”

Nurses advocated, proposed solutions and demanded action on four key areas: growing violence and nurse safety, the persistent nursing shortage, health care privatization and Indigenous health equity.

The CFNU is calling on the federal government to lead Canada out of the ongoing crisis in health care by implementing key solutions, including:

• Ensure infrastructure upgrades are made to protect health care workers and enhance safety as part of the Health Infrastructure Fund;
• Use conditional health funding agreements to require provinces and territories to include safe nurse-patient ratios in health human resources strategies;
• Follow and fund the recommendations in the Chief Nursing Officer’s Nursing Retention Toolkit;
• Prohibit the use of federal health funding for private health care initiatives;
• Implement the Safe Long-Term Care Act with enforceable national standards;
• Ensure greater progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action on health by increasing the number of Indigenous health care workers and expanding access to Indigenous-led traditional healing and wellness.

“Access to care is top of mind for Canadians, from primary health care to long wait times for the urgent help that people need. Nurses have evidence-backed solutions to address these challenges and are ready to work with decision-makers to champion this critical nation-building project and improve our public health care system and access to care for all,” Silas said.

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The CFNU is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization, representing 250,000 frontline unionized nurses and nursing students in every sector of health care – from home care and LTC to community and acute care – and advocating on key priorities to strengthen public health care across the country.

For more information, please contact Adella Khan, media@nursesunions.ca, 613‑807‑2942.