Candidate for CNA Board Director, Leila Gillis

Credit: Canadian Nurses Association

My nursing roots began as an RN Diploma graduate (1990), I continued on my education journey to graduate from both St Francis Xavier University (BScN) and Dalhousie University (MN).

I am a career public servant, currently serving as Indigenous Services Canada’s Deputy Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Director of Primary Care Services. In my Deputy CNO role, I perform key leadership function for nursing in the Department including union – management negotiations, occupational health and safety and recruitment and retention for a national nursing workforce of over 800 nurses. I am responsible additionally to advocate nationally for thousands of First Nation and Inuit employed nurses through policy and funding requests, all in collaboration with partners such as the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association.

I regularly work across health jurisdictions collaborating with provincial, national and international nursing organizations and I have significant experience at all these levels having participated in numerous task forces and professional collaborations. I am currently a CNA Board member in a one year term as part of the Board reorganization process, I am putting forward my candidature for re-election to continue this important work.