Silas: We thank these outstanding activists for all they do for nursing and nurses.
June 5, 2025 (Niagara Falls, ON) – The president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union, a nurse described as the voice of that province’s francophone nurses, and three other prominent labour activists were named today as recipients of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions’ (CFNU) prestigious Bread & Roses Award.
Bread & Roses Awards are presented each year for outstanding contributions to health care policy and decision-making, and for raising public awareness of nursing issues and patient advocacy. The awards were presented today by CFNU President Linda Silas at the national organization’s biennial convention.
“In each of their roles and each of their communities, these recipients are outstanding activists for nursing and nurses, and for all working people,” said Silas. “We celebrate each of them and their many contributions.”
Paula Doucet is the president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union (NBNU) and lifelong advocate for public health care. Doucet is a passionate and unwavering advocate for nurses, and a firm believer in educating the public on health care. Recently in her work with NBNU, Doucet was instrumental in uncovering spending on for-profit staffing agencies in the province, bringing awareness to the provincial government’s egregious spending on patchwork staffing.
Maria Richard is a loud voice for francophone nurses in New Brunswick media, rallies and advocacy, who embodies her mantra of “stronger together”. In her role as NBNU’s first vice-president, Richard has used her position to fight for nurses on Parliament Hill and appeared as a witness in the House of Commons Finance Committee.
Doug Anderson is a fierce advocate with unmatched dedication and integrity for all the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) nurses and health care professionals. Anderson has a knack for knowing when to challenge the status quo and always works to ensure members are fulsomely represented. His commitment to grassroot members makes him a true champion of ONA.
Tania Dick is a renowned Indigenous health care leader and a proud member of the Dzawada’enuxw First Nations of Kingcome Inlet, BC. In her work with unions, government and the education system, her decades of advocacy have helped to address anti-Indigenous racism in the nursing profession and the medical system at large. She continues to be a powerful force behind creating positive change for Indigenous patients and nurses.
The Bread & Roses Award is named in honour of the pioneers in the fight for women’s suffrage and women’s workplace rights and dignity. The phrase is often associated with a textile workers’ strike in Lawrence (Massachusetts) in 1912, in which the strikers demanded: “Give us bread, but give us roses too.”
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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.
