The 70’s were a progressive time for nurses in numerous ways. Unions began to take form, and the question of gender issues began to be addressed. In 1975 a group of indigenous nurses formed the Registered Nurses of Canadian Indian Ancestry (Now the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association) as a way to give voice and representation to Indigenous people working in the field, as well as focus specifically on the health needs of the aboriginal community. Mary Jane Mccallum comments on the need for this because “to Native people, social programs such as health and education are embedded in distinct historical relations and reciprocal treaty responsibilities between Indigenous people and the federal government.” The following decades had a wealth of changes to long standing traditions. In 1981 the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions was formed. While there’d been individual nurses’ unions beforehand, this one represented the profession at a national level and still stands today. Throughout the decades nurses organizations and unions helped represent those in the profession fight for better rights and further their goals. One such example is the United Nurses of Alberta striking in 1988. They took this action as a means to fight against various cutbacks to wages and benefits.
Labour issues are always prevalent and continue to this day, one of the main issues currently being tackled in the workplace is the issue of pay gaps between genders. As of 2019, every branch of the CFNU is also affiliated with their province’s respective federation of labour, providing more support for the workers should they need it. Canada’s nurses have a long and storied history fascinatingly intertwined with the struggle of labor. From Indigenous nurses seeking representation, to women like Emily Stowe battling for the need for education, to the work being done by the unions today, Canada’s nurses have been toiling away at improving both their working and living conditions.
Nursing In Canada 