As Canada faces growing demand for mental health and addiction services, expanding the recognition of registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) is a vital opportunity to strengthen the country’s capacity to deliver specialized health care. Although RPNs are recognized and regulated in several Canadian provinces, recognition remains inconsistent across the country, creating barriers to labour mobility and educational pathways while limiting opportunities to address health care staffing shortages. In this white paper, researcher Christina Patterson, MA, outlines key recommendations to recognize the important contributions RPNs make to Canada’s health care system and ensure their specialized expertise can be fully utilized wherever patients need it most.
This white paper was presented to federal, provincial and territorial health ministers at a meeting with the CFNU during the Health Ministers’ meetings in October 2026.
