November 7, 2026 | Ottawa, Ontario
The Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA) welcomes the federal government's investments in healthcare, affordability, and workforce development outlined in Budget 2026. However, significant financial barriers facing nursing students remain insufficiently addressed.
CNSA echoes the concerns raised by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) regarding the need for sustained, long-term healthcare funding and a coordinated, pan-Canadian nursing workforce strategy. Such investments must support the entire nursing profession, from strengthening working conditions and retaining practising nurses to ensuring nursing students have the resources needed to complete their education and enter practice.
“Workforce sustainability begins before graduation. Strengthening Canada's nursing workforce means supporting the nurses caring for patients today while investing in the students preparing to join them tomorrow. From the classroom to the bedside, every stage of the nursing profession deserves meaningful and sustained support.”
— Scarlett Montserrat Sanabria-Ramos, National President, CNSA
Rising education costs and unpaid clinical placements create financial barriers that can delay graduation, discourage entry into the profession, and undermine efforts to strengthen Canada's nursing workforce.
CNSA emphasizes that investments in safe working conditions and retaining practising nurses must go hand in hand with meaningful financial support for nursing students. Supporting both is essential to strengthening Canada's nursing workforce and ensuring quality patient care.
Nursing students are not simply the future of healthcare; they are already contributing to it through their education and clinical training. Supporting them is not an investment we can afford to postpone until graduation.
As CNSA prepares for its first national Hill Day on January 26, 2027, the Association looks forward to engaging with parliamentarians and nursing partners to advance sustainable healthcare funding, improve access to nursing education, and address the financial burden of mandatory clinical placements.
Supporting nursing students today strengthens Canada's nursing workforce tomorrow.
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For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA) at communications@cnsa.ca.