2021 Federal Election

2021 Federal Election

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CNA’s election platform

CNA’s election platform, titled Charting a Course for a Healthier Nation [PDF, 1.3 MB], contains recommendations that are intended to guide federal election candidates toward action that will improve the health and well-being of people in Canada.

Canada’s 440,000 nurses have been playing a critical role and have carried out tremendous work in precarious settings while working tirelessly to keep Canadians safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 in every 85 people living in Canada is a nurse. They are the largest health workforce, made up mostly by women, and are one of the most trusted professional groups in Canada. Nurses have the knowledge and expertise to help guide political leaders in addressing critical issues within our health system.

Watch a video recording about CNA’s election platform.

We have four evidence-based recommendations:

1. Support health workers
   • Develop innovative strategies to provide tailored, sustainable, accessible, long-term mental health supports for health workers.
   • Establish a dedicated national coordinating body to address critical health workforce gaps and improve health system planning and workforce mobility through better data infrastructure.
2. Expand access to virtual care
   • Lead the development of and work with the provinces and territories to implement a pan-Canadian digital health strategy.
   • Accelerate the deployment of technology-enabled solutions to expand virtual care and ensure health workers have adequate training and resources to maximize the effectiveness of these solutions.
   • Fast-track efforts to ensure all people in Canada have access to high-speed internet, including all rural, remote and northern communities.
3. Meet the needs of Canada’s older adults
   • Redesign the long-term care (LTC) sector by working with provinces and territories to establish, implement and enforce evidence-informed pan-Canadian standards tied to new federal funding.
   • Implement new, demographic-based, annual federal funding for the provinces and territories to help people remain in their homes into old age.
4. Fight racism and discrimination
   • Accelerate action immediately to provide reliable, permanent access to high-quality drinking water in all Indigenous communities..
   • Provide funding to intensify the education and training of non-Indigenous health-care providers in cultural competence, safety and humility.
   • Provide funding to increase the recruitment of Black and Indigenous people and other people of colour into health-care careers, and put in place strategies focused on retention and career advancement.

About CNA

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is the national and global professional voice of Canadian nursing, representing 135,000 nurses in all 13 jurisdictions across Canada. Our aim is to strengthen Canada’s health system and improve the health outcomes of Canadians by advancing nursing leadership, advocating for healthy domestic and global public policy, and shaping system-level improvements.

CNA is a strictly non-partisan organization and interacts with all parties, governments, senators and members of Parliament. As such, we do not endorse any particular party. Our approach focuses on creating positive and constructive relationships with all parties while building consensus on our priorities independently of which political party is currently forming government. This approach allows CNA to effectively advocate on behalf of nurses from across Canada and advance the profession in the long-term. We look forward to working with all parties during the election in an effort to serve Canadians who have entrusted us with their health.

If you have any questions, contact us at govtrelations@cna-aiic.ca.

Authorized by the Canadian Nurses Association, www.cna-aiic.ca, 1-800-361-8404