Advocacy

Advocacy in Action

Advocacy is a vital component of our work.

Our advocacy efforts include many different strategies to influence decision-making at a variety of levels ranging from individual meetings and speaking on behalf of our members, to supporting students and practicing nurses in utilizing our advocacy toolkit to guide their efforts.

We work hard to establish ourselves as a credible and valued organization that supports and advances the nursing profession.

Additional Resources

Areas of Advocacy

Canadian Nurses Association asking Canadians to take action for health care 

Canada’s health-care system has reached a crisis point and urgent action is needed to ensure people in Canada can access the care they need.


That starts with supporting nurses.

Add your voice by taking a few minutes to send a letter to your elected representatives to urge them to fix nursing shortages and the health care crisis in Canada!

You can visit the CNA website to get started.

ARNM's Acting ED, Joyce Kristjansson, joins a task force to leverage internationally educated nurses in Canada

The Federal Government has funded the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4) to look at how the Canadian system can leverage the knowledge and expertise of internationally educated health professionals. Joyce Kristjansson, Acting Executive Director for ARNM, is a working group member for this project. The goals are to produce:

  • A visual process map that reflects the current state of the pathways to licensure for IENs who have immigrated to Canada

  • A set of actionable recommendations to promote an equitable and efficient pathway for IENs to be optimally employed in Canada

Visit the N4 website for more information on its work to support immigrants and refugees. ARNM is committed to supporting internationally educated nurses who are in the process of getting their credentials recognized. We invite them to become non-practicing members of ARNM and to participate in our professional, educational, and advocacy efforts.

ARNM leadership meets with Health Minister

On March 15, ARNM President Loreley Fehr, President-Elect Ken Borce, and interim executive director Joyce Kristjansson met with Health Minister Audrey Gordon to discuss how we can work together to advance our profession and improve our health system for Manitobans. 

Key issues that we brought forward included nursing retention, mental health support for nurses, and the need for a more streamlined process in licensing internationally educated nurses who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to practice. We emphasized that nurses’ expertise and leadership is critical to crafting and implementing a sustainable plan to meet the Manitoba health system’s current and future needs. We highlighted that ARNM has almost 10,000 members, many of whom would welcome the opportunity to participate on government committees to share their knowledge and expertise as leaders in health care.

Minister Gordon appreciated our participation in the Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force and issues for internationally educated nurses. We highlighted the many ARNM members who are willing to participate in decision-making processes to resolve issues of significance to nurses and look forward to connecting with the department of health staff to make this happen.  

COVID-19 Member Survey: Report

ARNM released a report of its second COVID-19 Nursing Survey.

We received more than 1,200 responses from nurses across practice settings, exceeding 2020’s responses. The 2021 survey showed the pandemic’s continued strain on nursing and patient care in Manitoba. The findings will provide a foundation for our advocacy efforts in 2022.

COVID-19 Nursing Survey Report

For more information, watch Dr. Cheryl Cusack's Talk Tuesday presentation 'COVID survey results year 2: What do nurses want Manitobans to know'.

Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) Committee

ARNM's executive director was invited to participate on the provincial Internationally Educated Nurses committee.

January: At this time, the committee is prioritizing discussions around English proficiency and financial opportunities including funding requests from employers.

Long-term care task force

ARNM has developed a dedicated long-term care task force, led by ARNM acting executive director, Joyce Kristjannson. The task force was put together following unanimous member support for a resolution at the 2021 AGM to bring the nursing perspective to address urgent care needs of Manitoba's elderly and provide timely support to those working in long-term care. The voices of Manitoba nurses are important in shaping the future of long-term care across Canada.

February 7: Please consider sharing your thoughts on long-term care standards by participating in the 2022 national long-term care services standard public review survey. The public review closes at midnight on March 27.

January 28: Joyce was featured in a Winnipeg Free Press article focusing on how she is applying the Manitoba nursing perspective towards national improvement in long-term care. Read the article here.

Manitoba Public Insurance: Add nurses as guarantors

ARNM has requested that all nursing designations be added to Manitoba Public Insurance's (MPI) list of guarantors able to provide proof of identity. Regulated nurses are often the only professionals that marginalized individuals may have access to, to act as guarantors. Obtaining ID can be an important first step in improving the health outcomes of marginalized individuals. 

MPI is currently reviewing the guarantor requirements.