BC Nurses Call for Action on Health-Care Priorities Following Conservative Election Victory

With the provincial election results in, the BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) is calling on the newly elected Conservative government to address key priorities facing nurses, patients and BC’s public health-care system.

Throughout the election campaign, BCNU called on all political parties to commit to fully implementing minimum nurse-to-patient ratios across all care settings, strengthening protections against workplace violence, improving nurse retention and recruitment and reducing health authorities’ reliance on expensive private nursing agencies.

Elected candidates from all political parties signed BCNU’s candidate pledge in support of nurse-to-patient ratios – 10 BC Conservatives, 13 BC NDP and two Green MLA-elects. BCNU is calling on the incoming government to build on the significant work already made to implement ratios by moving forward with ratio legislation that would lock in the staffing model in all health-care settings.

“With clear support for ratios spanning party lines, there is an opportunity for multi-party cooperation to advance safer staffing and better patient care,” says BCNU President Adriane Gear. “Nurses are ready to work with the incoming government and all elected representatives to make meaningful progress on the issues that matter most to nurses and the people they care for.”

Gear adds that addressing violence in health-care workplaces must remain a priority. BCNU will continue to urge the government to take meaningful action to protect nurses and other health-care workers from harm by moving ahead on a government-led review of violence against health-care workers, an important outcome of this year’s province-wide job action.

“BC’s nurses must be part of the solution,” says Gear. “The expectation of this government is that it listens to nurses and works with them to address the challenges they face every day. Whether it's addressing ER closures, filling thousands of nurse vacancies or addressing the systemic levels of violence in health care, there's a lot we can do to improve the state of BC's health-care system."

To set up an interview, please contact BCNU Communications at media@bcnu.org.