Canadian nursing leaders say they sent a message to prime ministers as they meet this week that patients and nurses are suffering from a “dire staffing crisis” that threatens the sustainability of public health care.
A statement from Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Nurses Federation, said the system is “on the brink of disaster” and nursing leaders shared proposed solutions today as the premiers begin the federation’s Council meeting.
Silas says nurses are “struggling with extreme understaffing, forced overtime and canceled vacations with no end in sight” to untenable conditions.
The federation says its proposals focus on retaining nurses, encouraging them to return to the profession and the public health system, and new measures to recruit and train the next generation.
Read more: Canada’s premiers talk health care, meet Indigenous leaders at gathering in Victoria, B.C.
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Silas says provincial commitments to strengthen health care are welcome, but “no province or territory can solve this alone” and federal funding will be key.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan, host and chair of the Council of the Federation, said health funding will be at the center of the agenda, specifically that Ottawa will increase its share of the cost from 22 to 35 per cent to help system improvement.
The premiers are meeting with leaders of national indigenous organizations for the first time, and a statement from the Songhees nation, which is hosting the event, said discussions will address the well-being of indigenous families and youth and the environment.
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Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he will raise the alarm about the federal government’s plan to cut emissions at the meeting.
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He says the reduction plan is “pie in the sky”, calling it a “ridiculous” target without a proper implementation plan.
Kenney, who made the comments at the annual Calgary Stampede breakfast on Monday, said the implications of the plan would be devastating for Alberta just as the world needs more energy.
The federal plan, released earlier this year, aims to curb emissions from the oil and gas sector to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and reduce methane emissions from oil and gas by at least 75 percent by 2030 Mr.
4:22 Pancakes and politics Pancakes and politics
— With files from Colette Derworiz in Calgary
© 2022 The Canadian Press
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