“Nurses Talk Truth” in New Campaign Calling Out Ford Government

TORONTO, ON., October 30, 2023 – Front-line nurses and health-care professionals are calling foul on the Ford Conservative government’s disastrous health-care policies in a new advertising campaign, launched by the Ontario Nurses’ Association today.

“We created this ad campaign to tell the public the brutal truth about health care in Doug Ford’s Ontario,” says Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) President Erin Ariss, RN. “Ford’s Conservative government has dramatically underfunded every sector of our public health-care system while launching a dangerous plan to further privatize it. This will only benefit private investors, while making things worse for health-care providers and average Ontarians.”

The campaign features Ontario’s health-care workers sharing unscripted, stark truths of working on the frontlines of the province’s public health-care system, showcased in black and white advertisements for television, social media and in print during the month of November. It focusses on staffing, privatization, and underfunding, urging the public to send a message to decision-makers through the campaign website: nursestalktruth.ca.

Notes one nurse featured in the ad: “I don’t think Doug Ford should be trusted with healthcare. He needs to listen to nurses.” Another nurse says: “The government has proven time and time again that they have to be forced to do the right thing, and that’s why WE keep fighting.”

“Nurses and health-care professionals are speaking out in our own words to share the bleak realities we face as we hold together a system starved of resources by this government,” says Ariss. “All Ontarians deserve high-quality public healthcare, and we hope they will hear our message and demand government action to increase public funding and stop private surgeries and private staffing agencies that are draining our public system of resources.”

ONA is the union representing 68,000 ONA registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

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To arrange an interview, contact:

ONA Media Relations, media@ona.org