Nurses Vote – 2025 Federal Election

Canada has a severe nursing shortage, and Ontario is the worst in the country. Nurses and health-care workers are dealing with heavy workloads, unsafe conditions and burnout as they struggle to provide the care Ontarians need and deserve. Many are leaving their jobs because governments refuse to improve unsafe staffing levels and working conditions. We need a federal government that will implement nursing ratios in all sectors. 

Did you know? 

• 83 per cent of nurses reported that there are not enough staff to meet the needs of patients.
• For every additional patient a nurse takes on, the mortality rate increases by 7 per cent.
• In places like California and Australia, registered nurse-to-patient ratios have reduced staff burnout and improved retention and recruitment.

To improve our health care, we must elect a government that will ensure safe staffing in every sector. 

Medicare in Canada was launched thanks to a federal commitment to share costs with provinces equally. But over the last 50 years, federal contributions have decreased significantly, straining provincial budgets to make up the rest. Now private, for-profit corporations are looking to take advantage of the situation. Private health care costs more for governments, taxpayers and patients and delivers fewer services. 
 
Did you know? 

• Between 2017 and 2022, the number of surgeries performed in private independent health facilities increased, while surgical activity declined in public hospitals.
• Private, for-profit health-care facilities pick and choose which patients to treat, often rejecting those with multiple and severe conditions.
• Studies have shown that private health care leads to worse patient outcomes.

We need a federal government that will improve health care transfer funding and implement reporting.

Our public health-care system was built on the value that everyone should have access to care, regardless of where you live or how much you make. But many Canadians cannot afford the prescription medications they need to stay healthy. No one should have to choose between filling their prescriptions and putting food on the table. 

Did you know? 

• In 2019, one in four Canadians decided not to fill or renew a prescription or did something to make a prescription last longer due to its cost.
• Before introducing pharmacare, Canada was the only country with universal health-care coverage that did not have universal coverage for prescription medication.
• Comprehensive, universal pharmacare would save Canadians billions of dollars every year.

Despite important gains towards universal pharmacare, we have a lot of work to do. Let’s elect a federal government that will expand Canada’s public health-care programs and make it truly universal for all. 

Nurses and health-care workers know many factors impact a person’s health and well-being. Being able to put food on the table or have a roof over your head can be the difference between life and death. Access to child care, and other important services also contribute to our quality of life. The sad reality is that access to basic necessities is slipping out of reach for so many people across the country. This means worse health outcomes and higher costs for our health-care system. 

Did you know? 

• In 2023, 30,000 people experiencing homelessness were admitted to hospitals in Canada, and these admissions lasted twice as long than admissions for people who were not unhoused. 
• People living in food-insecure households are more likely to require health care services, be hospitalized for a wide array of conditions, stay in acute care for longer and die prematurely from almost all causes. 
• Over one quarter of Indigenous peoples have unmet health care needs.

Preventing worsening health in the future by improving the quality of life for everyone now will save our health-care system money and result in a healthier society. That’s why we must elect a government that will take bold action to improve the social determinants of health. This can be done by addressing the rising cost of living, protecting affordable child care, and expanding the rights of equity-deserving communities.