CNA Congratulatory Letter to Health Minister Marjorie Michel

May 13, 2025

The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health hcminister.ministresc@hc-sc.gc.ca marjorie.michel@parl.gc.ca

Dear Minister Michel,

On behalf of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and the nursing community across Canada, we extend our congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Health.

As you take on this critical portfolio, the health system continues to grapple with urgent challenges, from persistent workforce shortages and growing mental health needs, to the rising costs of care and ongoing access barriers. Nurses across the country stand ready to collaborate with you to deliver meaningful results for Canadians.

Earlier this year, CNA released A Healthier Canada, Powered by Nurses: A Vision for 2025 and Beyond, a nurse-informed federal platform grounded in nurses’ experiences and evidence-based solutions. We are encouraged by the opportunities to align our shared priorities, particularly in:

• Implementing a national licensure framework for nurses and physicians to improve mobility and better optimize the nursing workforce where they are needed most;
• Streamlining the recognition of internationally educated health professionals, accelerating their ability to contribute to the health system;
• Investing in nursing education, continuing education, and leadership development;
• Advancing Indigenous health and mental health services in collaboration with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities; and
• Launching a Public Health Care Innovation Task Force to drive system improvements, enhance data quality, and ensure accountability.

We respectfully request that a representative from the Canadian Nurses Association be included in the future Public Health Care Innovation Task Force, as committed to in the Liberal Party of Canada’s 2025 election platform, to ensure the nursing perspective is embedded in shaping future innovations. Across the country, nurse-led and team-based models of care are already demonstrating how to expand access, reduce costs, and improve outcomes. These models must be central to any strategy aimed at optimizing the contributions of the health workforce.

We also commend the government’s continued focus on labour mobility for nurses, an issue that has consistently emerged as a priority in our conversations with the nursing workforce. In a recent CNA survey of 1,798 nurses, 93% expressed strong support for enhancing labour mobility, recognizing its potential to reduce regulatory barriers, improve access to care, and ensure a more agile health workforce across the country.

Additionally, we urge you to elevate the role of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Canada to the Assistant Deputy Minister level with budget allocation. The CNO plays a vital role in advancing health system transformation priorities, including workforce planning, retention, and labour mobility, and is essential to integrating nursing expertise in federal health policy development.

With over 478,000 regulated nurses, nursing students, and retired nurses across Canada, the nursing profession represents a powerful, solutions-oriented community committed to improving health outcomes and strengthening the public health system.

Minister, we respectfully request an early opportunity to meet with you to discuss how nurses can further support your government in achieving its health-care priorities, from workforce optimization to digital health integration.

We look forward to working with you to build a healthier Canada for all.

Respectfully,

Dr. Kimberly LeBlanc
President, Canadian Nurses Association
Dr. Valerie Grdisa
CEO, Canadian Nurses Association

CC. Dr. Leigh Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer of Canada, Health Canada

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