Dr. Doris Grinspun
For a century, RNAO has been a values-driven and evidence-based organization. From our earliest days, our mission has been clear: to advance nursing in the service of health for all. When we look back at the nurses who founded RNAO in the 1920s – visionary and courageous women (visit our history portal for details) – we see reflections of ourselves and the work we carry forward today. They reclaimed their voice, demanded self-regulation, and laid the foundation for professional education in a field too often reduced to “following doctors’ orders.”
These women built RNAO with determination. They established a membership, purchased real estate, and collaborated with government to secure nursing’s future. They fought for accredited nursing schools, legal support, representation at public inquiries, and regulation to protect both the public and the profession. Their legacy remains central to RNAO’s purpose, which is grounded in the conviction that health is a human right, that every person deserves dignity and respect, and that nursing practice must be centred on their lived experience and rooted in evidence.
The nurses who founded RNAO – and those who have followed – envisioned what nursing must be, with better education, expanded scope and improved working conditions. Knowing that nurses play a vital role in a complex, evolving health system, we continue to demand recognition, safe staffing and fair compensation.
This drive to lead has defined RNAO for 100 years. When I became executive director in 1996, just after our 70th anniversary, I knew we stood on strong shoulders. I am proud of all we have achieved together as we now celebrate our centennial.
From our proud past to our turbulent present, our resolve remains unshaken.
In a 1996 interview with RNJ, I laid out a key priority: to strengthen members' input and involvement. My mind was set on building a vibrant grassroots movement. And in my July 1997 RNJ column, I described two paths for the profession: passive acceptance or active transformation. At RNAO, we choose the second path. We do not sit quietly. We lead.
And our leadership has evolved into a broad and ambitious mandate, defined by five pillars: advancing the social determinants of health; protecting the environment; building nursing health human resources and practice scope; shaping the health system; and securing the financing to support health for all. This is the vision I offered to the board of directors in 1996, because this is what nursing meant to me then – and what it still means to me today.
Together with brilliant and courageous consecutive boards, expert staff, an engaged assembly of leaders, and the 54,400+ RNs, NPs, and nursing students who own this awe-inspiring association – we have built a collective that can and does move the impossible.
From our proud past to our turbulent present, our resolve remains unshaken. During the recent federal election – with hate and division on the rise – nurses’ core values were on the line. With voter turnout at its highest in a decade – 68 per cent – Canadians signalled they were paying attention. For RNAO, silence was not an option.
RNAO’s then executive – President NP Lhamo Dolkar, Immediate Past-President Dr. Claudette Holloway and I – brought forward a proposal to the board of directors to launch a multi-media campaign that would ensure nurses’ voices were heard in the lead-up to the election. The result: bold, clear messaging in newspaper and digital ads and on the radio. Our call was simple and powerful – Vote for the future. Vote with values.
Canadians elected Prime Minister Mark Carney, who promised unity and a path forward that is just, inclusive and sustainable. But promises must be followed by action. Carney did follow through on his promise to expand dental care. He also lowered the bottom marginal income tax rate from 15 to 14 per cent, saving a two-income household about $840 annually. But the pressures he faces in the opposite direction are immense – and his record over his first few months in office is deeply concerning.
We will continue to fight for our values, which are being weakened by misguided policy choices.
He terminated the consumer carbon levy and has not replaced it with other meaningful climate action. Fossil fuel interests are emboldened by plans for new pipelines and subsidies that endanger future generations. The cancellation of the capital gains tax increase means more wealth for the rich and less for social programs. Cancelling the Digital Services Tax under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump has handed billions to tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, once again at the expense of the public good. Carney also gave in to demands from Trump and the military establishment, ushering in a $9 billion increase in military expenditures this year – with enormous additional hikes planned over the next decade.
Since Carney has ruled out raising taxes on corporations and the ultra-wealthy, the only way to pay for lost revenue and military expansion is through large cuts to health and social spending. In fact, all federal ministries have been asked to prepare for spending cuts of 7.5 per cent in 2026–27, 10 per cent in 2027–28, and 15 per cent in 2028–29. When coupled with inflation, these cuts will deeply affect the health and wellbeing of most Canadians and crush hopes for deep investments in a renewed, more equitable and sustainable society.
We have also witnessed an affront to Indigenous rights with Ontario’s Bill 5 and the federal Bill C-5. Both have been justified by claims they are necessary to build national projects in response to Trump’s tariffs. Carney’s proposed Bill C-2 – The Strong Borders Act – is another concession to Trump that has been condemned by human rights organizations for its harm to vulnerable refugees, including transgender people escaping persecution.
This is not the vision of health and wellbeing that nurses can or will support. RNAO stands for justice and compassion, informed by evidence and delivered with courage. We will continue to fight for these values, which are being weakened by misguided policy choices.
So, what comes next?
Our message to Prime Minister Carney is clear: it is early in your term, and you must change course. The government’s focus must be to continue strengthening our publicly funded health-care system, including primary care, pharmacare and dental care. Expand social programs like childcare. Build affordable, non-market housing. Accelerate the transition to a decarbonized economy. Tackle wealth inequality, social division and intolerance. Advance truth and reconciliation. Build a humane and equitable society. And strengthen nurses' voices by expanding the role of the chief nursing officer of Canada. These are the values that progressive forces mobilized around to elect Carney. Nurses will continue to fight to make them a reality.
I remain hopeful. I believe in what the collective of nurses can achieve. And I am deeply grateful to every RNAO member for continuing the proud tradition of action and impact.
Together, we must continue to build a stronger tomorrow for all.