October 26, 2026 | CNSA Ontario Advocacy Update
The Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA) has formally called on Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones to take urgent action to address the growing financial pressures, employment barriers, and workforce instability facing nursing students and new graduates across Ontario.
In letters dated October 26, 2026, CNSA, representing over 36,000 nursing students nationally, including approximately 18,000 in Ontario, raised serious concerns about the disconnect between provincial investments in nursing education and the employment opportunities available to those entering the profession.
The letters highlighted findings from CNSA's national survey conducted in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU), which found that 28% of nursing students had considered leaving or transferring out of their programs due to financial pressures. Rising living costs, unpaid clinical placements, and changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) continue to place significant strain on students preparing to enter the nursing workforce.
However, as emphasized in the letters, these challenges do not end at graduation.
According to the College of Nurses of Ontario's 2026 nursing statistics, 5,454 registered nurses were seeking nursing employment in 2026, compared with 2,588 in 2021. Among Ontario-educated nurses renewing their registration for the first time, 1,098 were unemployed and seeking nursing employment. At the same time, CNSA's correspondence cited reports from the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) of more than 1,700 registered nursing positions eliminated across Ontario hospitals since January 2025.
These figures raise an urgent question: How can Ontario continue expanding healthcare infrastructure and nursing education while newly licensed nurses struggle to find employment and existing nursing positions are being eliminated?
In its letter to Premier Ford, CNSA emphasized:
"A hospital bed does not care for a patient - A nurse does."
CNSA called on the provincial government to restore and expand funded Clinical Extern positions, particularly in primary healthcare and community settings, strengthen the Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG) program to support pathways into permanent employment, and address financial barriers affecting nursing students. The letters also urged the province to examine the impact of OSAP changes and ensure that recipients of the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant (OLSG) have realistic opportunities to fulfill their service commitments.
In its correspondence to Minister Jones, CNSA further proposed exploring an enhanced nursing student employment program, drawing on models such as the Employed Student Nurse (ESN) and Undergraduate Nursing Employee (UNE) programs already operating in other Canadian provinces. Such an approach could strengthen clinical experience, improve the transition into professional practice, and support long-term workforce retention.
Both letters also warned against repeating the nursing workforce instability experienced during Ontario's healthcare restructuring in the 1990s, when employment uncertainty contributed to Ontario-trained nurses seeking opportunities elsewhere.
CNSA has requested an urgent meeting with Premier Ford and Minister Jones, alongside a written response within 30 days outlining concrete actions to address these concerns.
These letters reflect CNSA's continued commitment to ensuring that nursing students and new graduates are not overlooked in provincial healthcare planning. Investing in nursing education is essential, but those investments must be matched by meaningful employment opportunities, sustainable working conditions, and policies that support nurses throughout their careers.
Ontario's nursing students are ready to learn, work, and care for their communities. The province must ensure that the next generation of nurses has the opportunity to do so.
As CNSA emphasized in its letter to Premier Ford:
"What is the point of building the healthcare system of tomorrow if we are failing to secure the nurses who will sustain it?"
CNSA will continue calling for meaningful dialogue and action to protect Ontario's present and future nursing workforce.
Read Our Letters
October 26, 2026: Letter to the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario — Urgent Action Required: Ontario Cannot Afford to Lose Another Generation of Nurses.
October 26, 2026: Letter to the Honourable Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health — Urgent Concerns Regarding Financial Barriers and Employment Opportunities for Ontario Nursing Students.
Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA)
Ontario Region | October 2026