As nurses, your voice matters in shaping the future of health care in Canada. Advocacy is a powerful way to influence policy, raise awareness, and drive meaningful change, every day, not just during elections. Here are practical tips to help you get involved:
Stay informed
Health policy evolves quickly, and decisions are often based on current data, system pressures, and political priorities. Staying informed on health-care issues, policies, and system challenges ensures your advocacy is relevant, accurate and credible.
Resources like CNA’s Policy Roadmap can help you understand national priorities and emerging directions in nursing and health care. You can also subscribe to CNA’s newsletter to receive timely updates, insights, and opportunities to stay engaged. Being well-informed allows you to speak confidently and positions you as a trusted voice in discussions with colleagues, the public, and decision-makers.
Share your story
Your lived experience in health care is one of your most powerful advocacy tools. By sharing real examples, you humanize policy issues and illustrate how decisions affect patients, families and providers in tangible ways.
Leverage social media
Social media is a powerful tool for advocacy. Follow CNA on our platforms, share our content, and engage with others online to amplify the voice of nurses. Use hashtags, comment on policy discussions, and spread credible information about health-care priorities.
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Engage with decision-makers
Elected officials rely on input from constituents to understand priorities and guide policy decisions.
Reaching out to your member of Parliament (MP) and other leaders ensures that nurses’ perspectives are considered in policy development. Clear, concise messages focused on specific priorities are more likely to resonate and lead to action.
Use your postal code to find your MP.
Participate in public discussions
Public forums influence political agendas and highlight issues that matter to communities. Attending town halls, following debates, and contributing your perspective helps ensure that health care remains a visible and urgent priority.
You can find upcoming opportunities on CNA’s events page as well as ongoing advocacy campaigns.
Combat misinformation
Health misinformation can spread quickly and undermine public trust, safety, and policy decisions.
Promoting accurate, evidence-based information helps maintain credibility and supports informed decision-making among the public and policy-makers. Nurses are highly trusted professionals, making your voice especially impactful in correcting false or misleading information.
Get involved
Advocacy is most effective when it is collective and sustained over time.
Volunteering your time or expertise with organizations and initiatives allows you to contribute to coordinated efforts that drive change. It also helps you build advocacy skills and expand your professional network.
Join nursing advocacy groups
Collaborate with provincial, territorial, and national nursing organizations to amplify policy priorities and advocate for better health-care policies.
CNA plays a key role in advocating for nurses at the national level. Membership in CNA is voluntary, with each member choosing to join on their own. By becoming a member, you strengthen a collective voice that influences health policies and advances the nursing profession.
If you’re already a member, encourage your colleagues to join! The more voices we have, the stronger our impact. Together, we can shape the future of health care in Canada. Join CNA today!
Write and speak publicly
Media and public platforms shape public opinion and can influence political priorities.
Submitting op-eds, writing letters to the editor, or speaking at events help bring visibility to critical health-care issues. Public communication ensures that nurses’ perspectives are part of broader societal conversations.
Read CNA’s statements and open letters to get ideas and learn more about how to engage with governments.
Encourage workplace discussions
Advocacy often begins with awareness and shared understanding among peers.
Encouraging respectful, non-partisan conversations in your workplace helps build a culture of engagement and collective action. These discussions can lead to new ideas, alignment on priorities, and stronger advocacy efforts.