Silas: Fixing staffing shortages is the key to fixing access to care
March 13, 2025 (Ottawa, ON) – Canadians name long wait times for access to medical care as the most pressing challenge facing our health care system, in a new survey commissioned by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU).
The national survey, conducted by Abacus data, revealed that nearly half of Canadians say the health care system is getting worse. Most point to the ongoing nationwide shortage of health care workers as the key issue driving long waits to access care.
“Without enough nurses and health care professionals at the bedside, Canadians across the country are feeling the effects of an under-staffed health care system. Staffing and patient safety are intrinsically linked. Our governments and leaders need to hear that message loud and clear and put access to care and patient safety first,” said CFNU President Linda Silas.
There are 42,045 vacant nursing positions across the country, according to the latest Statistics Canada data. It takes 1.5 nurses to fill one full-time-equivalent position, pushing the number of nurses we need to more than 63,000.
The CFNU has been calling on the federal government to create a Patient Safety Bill of Rights to enshrine Canada’s commitment to safe, timely, accessible and quality care across the country.
The Bill would create national standards for nurse-patient ratios, safe hours of work, long-term care and working conditions, aiming to keep people working in the public health care system. The Abacus poll found that 77% of Canadians support such a bill.
“Nurses and health professionals are on the front lines of our health care system, delivering the care we all rely on. But they can’t split themselves in half to care for more patients,” said Silas. “Implementing sustainable solutions to the nursing shortage is integral to ensuring Canada is making good on our commitment to timely access to care for all. As we head into a federal election, it’s critical that governments and candidates take note: access to care for all must be a top priority.”
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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.