RN and MPP Natalia Kusendova-Bashta became Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care after a cabinet shuffle announced on June 6. Kusendova-Bashta, a proud RNAO member, had previously served as the parliamentary assistant to her predecessor Stan Cho. At RNAO’s AGM, she reminisced about attending her first political event as a nursing student, and described how it inspired her to pursue a career in politics. “The very first time I went to Queen’s Park was with Dr. Doris Grinspun…as a student…I fell in love with it…I fell in love with the incredible advocacy work that nurses do,” she told colleagues at the AGM opening ceremony. Kusendova-Bashta said she believes health should be considered in every government policy. In her role, she wants to ensure seniors have the quality of care they deserve. “I realize all the challenges that lay ahead,” she said about fixing long-term care. “And I find comfort in the fact that I have incredible leaders and experts, many of you in this room (at the AGM) who will guide me, as you have in the past.” We need more nurses across the continuum of care, she said, including and especially in long-term care. More NPs in long-term care “is how we will build capacity,” she said. Read more about NPs in NPs improve access and equity of care across Ontario.