The Canadian Federation of Nurses’s Unions (CFNU) is pushing for a minimum nurse-patient ratio across Canada. CFNU said proper nurse-patient ratios are not just a workload issue, but also a safety issue.
“Nursing is the largest safety-critical workforce in Canada, yet nurses are not being provided with the working conditions necessary to protect patient safety,” said CFNU president Linda Silas. “Pilots and truck drivers already have protections around consecutive hours of work – surely patients are the most precious cargo of all.”
Currently, only two provinces in Canada have passed legislation to mandate minimum nurse-patient ratios. In BC, the law came into effect in the fall of 2024. It requires a minimum of one nurse for every four patients in general medical care.
Nova Scotia created legislation in spring of 2024 that mandates a minimum nurse-patient ratio. The details of the province’s plan are not yet set but the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union president Janet Hazelton said she’s hopeful about the guidelines.
A report by the CFNU shows that minimum nurse-patient ratios have been critical in shaping patient outcomes and nurse retention. Amidst a health human resource crisis, pushing for mandated minimum ratios could help protect public healthcare.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information said in October 2024 that public healthcare, which is often a source of pride for many Canadians, is facing unprecedented strain. While the situation may seem dire, their study shows that there was a net increase in nurses and nurse practitioners in the 2022.
While efforts to recruit more nurses have shown a net increase in workforce, the CFNU still wants all levels of governments to legislate minimum ratios to ensure public health care does not erode.
“Safe patient care relies on a strong nursing workforce with safe working conditions. We know that in many health care settings, those working conditions are not being met. Nursing is a safety-critical workforce, which demands staffing policies that protect patient safety,” said Silas. “It’s up to us – government leaders, employers and unions – to ensure nurses have the basics they need to provide patients with quality and safe care.”
The premiers of Canada’s provinces and territories met from Monday to Wednesday in Huntsville, ON The CFNU hosted a policy breakfast to bring their demand for minimum nurse-patient ratios to leaders.
Armed with a report by workforce experts Prof. Alison Leary and Dr. Jennifer Zelmer, the CFNU told premiers that the country needs collaboration from provincial and territorial leadership for workforce planning.
Patient safety can only be bolstered by proper staffing, the CFNU wrote in a release. However, leaders cannot stop and just minimum nurse-patient ratios, nurses also need safe working hours.
“When two in three nurses report that their workplaces are regularly overcapacity, we know health care planning has gone wrong, we know that near-miss errors are a danger to patients,” Silas said. “We cannot continue to accept unsafe health care working conditions as the norm, especially when there are known concrete evidence-backed solutions that would turn the tide on this crisis and improve our public health care system for both workers and patients.”
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