Nurse report shows grim reality

The 2026 Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) National Nurses Survey shows that 95 per cent of the 4,703 nurses surveyed across health-care settings in the country have experienced some form of workplace violence or harassment in the last year. The findings from Ontario nurses largely mirror these results.  

“Nurses face the threat of violence every day at work, something that absolutely wouldn’t be tolerated in any other workplace,” says CFNU President Linda Silas. “It’s no coincidence that nursing is a female-dominated profession and that violence has been allowed to grow in the workplace without the change and accountability it demands.” 

Also deeply troubling is that nearly one in three nurses say they haven’t received workplace violence and harassment training, while almost three-quarters haven’t received training in psychological health and safety. While Silas notes that “strong support and care after an incident of violence should be the bare minimum,” only 46 per cent say they’ve reported such occurrences, with one in three stating they’re fearful of repercussions.

The CFNU is calling on provincial and territorial governments to use every tool at their disposal to end violence against health-care workers, including investing in training and prevention programs; mandating minimum nurse-patient ratios; enforcing the Criminal Code and other occupational health and safety legislation to punish and deter violence; and installing violence prevention infrastructures. Learn about ONA’s Code Black & Blue workplace violence campaign here. 

Other survey findings include:

• More than two in three respondents say their workplace is regularly overcapacity. 
• Nearly two in three work overtime at least once per month. 
• More than half rate stress in their job as high or very high while less than half think they have access to sufficient mental health supports. 
• More than half experience burnout and some level of psychological distress. 
• More than one-third are considering leaving their current job or the profession within the next year, with insufficient staffing ranking as the top reason. 
• Long-term care nurses are the least satisfied across sectors. 
• Half of internationally educated nurses experienced workplace discrimination in the past year.