| Take Action | Provincial Campaigns | Nurses Vote: Expression of Interest Form

ONA is preparing for the likely scenario that there will be early provincial and federal elections called in Winter/Spring 2025 (dates are to be confirmed). 

There is a lot at stake in these elections. Provincially, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party has eroded Ontario’s public health-care system, expanded for-profit agencies and clinics, and created a health care catastrophe where Ontarians are often not receiving the care they need. They have created a nursing and health-care professional understaffing crisis and opposed solutions like staffing ratios. Federally, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre poses a real threat to public health care in Canada and will dismantle new and existing health-care programs, including pharmacare and dental care. 

Nurses and health-care professionals have the ability to influence the outcome of the next elections. Through the Nurses Vote campaign, you can empower your co-workers and the public to make informed choices in the upcoming federal and provincial elections by organizing collective actions. As a secondee, you will increase voter turnout and increase knowledge of the party platforms amongst ONA members. 

Details

  • This is a temporary secondment role.
  • Time commitment is five weeks of booked off time for each campaign, federal and provincial (negotiated by your Labour Relations Officer with your employer). Dates are TBC. We are anticipating elections in Winter/Spring 2025.
  • For the first election campaign, time will be split between five days of training for the first week, four weeks of telephone banking and other events (five days a week, Monday to Friday), some evening work is required. The second election campaign will be five weeks of telephone banking and other events (five days a week, Monday to Friday), some evening work is required. Dates are subject to change based on election timing.
  • This year’s campaign includes a pilot initiative of canvassing in select communities across all five regions to talk about health-care issues with members and other voters.
  • An equity lens will be applied to reflect the diversity of our membership, including race, language, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and age.
  • 20 members will be selected for this role across all ONA regions. Members will be selected from all ONA sectors – hospitals, long-term care, public health, the community, industry and clinics and from a wide variety of locals and job classifications.
  • To continue to build organizing capacity, members who were not seconded to the last election campaign will be given priority.
  • Members will be asked to work regionally and within their Bargaining Unit and Local structures, including with Bargaining Unit Presidents, Local Coordinators and Regional Vice-Presidents.

ONA staff will provide training on:

  • Provincial/federal election issues, party platforms, how to engage members in political conversations, and how to move people from not interested in politics to engaged!
  • How to affect change in your workplace, community and the broader public as a nurse and health-care professional.
  • How to build a team to work on the provincial/federal election in your workplace - Nurses Vote action committees, planning and implementing a Bargaining Unit voter turn-out drive and regional pre-election events and actions, telephone banking, canvassing in the community and texting.
  • Government relations, internal membership organizing and mobilizing, communications.

  • Raising awareness within their Bargaining Unit about the provincial/federal elections.
  • Getting their Bargaining Unit informed and voting for public health care.
  • Getting their Local informed and voting for public health care.
  • Connecting local issues to nearby target ridings to impact the outcome of the election in that riding.
  • Connecting local issues to local candidates to ensure that long-term and sustainable relationships are formed with labour leaders, politicians, and other community activists.
  • Working with other ONA leaders, including Retiree Network Advisory Team (RNAT) and Political Action Committee (PAC) members, to come up with events, actions and engagements that are attuned to local needs and interests.

Have questions?

If you are interested in becoming a secondee, please complete the form below. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2025 at 5 p.m.

Applications are now closed. Thank you for your interest.

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