CNA Urges Premiers to Harmonize Nursing Regulation to Strengthen Canada's Economy and Health System
July 21, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Source: Canadian Nurses Association | Association des infirmières et infirmiers du Canada
Huntersville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 21, 2025) - As Canada's premiers gather for the Council of the Federation (COF) Summer Meeting this week, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is urging governments to take immediate action to harmonize nursing regulation across jurisdictions, an essential step to strengthen Canada's internal labour market, support the health system, and bolster economic resilience amid continued trade tensions with the United States.
"With global uncertainty and growing pressures on Canada-U.S. trade relations, we must reduce internal barriers to economic productivity," said CNA president Dr. Kimberly LeBlanc. "Fragmented nursing licensure and regulation limit the mobility of our health workforce and delay care. A coordinated approach would not only improve access to health services, it would also support a more agile, competitive economy."
CNA emphasizes that optimizing the nursing workforce is essential to transforming Canada's health system sustainably. "A modern, mobile nursing workforce is essential to our health and our economy," said CNA CEO Dr. Valerie Grdisa. "By harmonizing nursing regulation, we can unlock workforce potential, drive innovation in care delivery, and reinforce the foundation of a stronger, more self-sufficient Canada."
CNA is delighted to be meeting with Canada's premiers and advocating for nursing and health policy, including a pan-Canadian harmonization framework for nursing regulation. By reducing fragmentation and promoting greater consistency across jurisdictions, this approach would enhance workforce mobility, support the integration of internationally educated nurses, and improve health system responsiveness, particularly in rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities.
This call aligns with CNA's policy roadmap, A Healthier Canada, Powered by Nurses, which urges governments to remove interjurisdictional barriers, invest in the health workforce, and unlock the full potential of nurses to meet growing population health needs.
Together, we can create a more agile, connected, and equitable health system, by ensuring nurses can work where they are needed, when they are needed.
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About the Canadian Nurses Association
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is the national and global professional voice of Canadian nursing. Our mission is to advance the nursing profession to improve health outcomes in Canada's publicly funded, not-for-profit health system. CNA is the only national association that speaks for all nurses in all sectors and practice settings across all 13 provinces and territories. We represent unionized and non-unionized nurses, retired nurses, nursing students, and all categories of nurses (licensed and registered practical nurses, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and registered psychiatric nurses).
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