23 February 2026
4 min Read

“We don’t stand alone,” student says of ONA

Recent grad Anika Joshi and an ONA staff member stand in front of a large ONA sign.

Recent grad Anika Joshi (right) says the support and mentorship of ONA, including Government Relations Specialist Imreet Kaur, seen here, “has made a real difference” to students.

One key thing that students always come away with from the annual Canadian Nursing Students’ Association’s (CNSA) National Conferences is the strong support of ONA.

And the 2026 conference, held from January 28 - 31 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was no exception. ONA was a platinum sponsor of the event, the second highest level, and staffed a popular booth in the exhibitors’ hall to hand out union-branded swag and talk to students directly. 

Through the ONA student affiliate membership, I have felt supported, not just as a student, but as a future nurse.

“My involvement with ONA has been constant throughout my time in nursing school,” says Anika Joshi, who recently graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). “Through the ONA student affiliate membership, I have felt supported, not just as a student, but as a future nurse.”

Approximately 300 students from across the country, including ONA student affiliate members, attended the conference under the theme Building Bridges in the City of Bridges, which the CNSA says reflects its mission to foster and strengthen meaningful connections between nursing students, professionals, and communities across Canada and beyond.

“Attending the CNSA National Conference as a nursing student from Ontario felt both familiar and grounding,” adds Joshi. “I represented CNSA as an associate delegate for my school from Year 1 to Year 4 of my nursing program, so the conference has been a constant throughout my education. Attending this year as a recent TMU graduate gave the experience a new perspective. It felt less about learning what nursing is and more about understanding who I am within the profession.”

The ONA table at the CNSA National Conference displays ONA material and promotional items.

ONA staff set up a table in the Saskatoon hotel where the CNSA National Conference took place to hand out ONA material and promotional items and answer student questions.

And that learning was extensive. The conference, hosted by the University of Saskatchewan, featured dynamic keynote speakers, including Canada’s Chief Nursing Officer Leigh Chapman, who spoke about providing strategic advice at a national level and the role of nursing across Canada; engaging workshops and educational opportunities, from theory to practice; and thought-provoking panel discussions on topics such as transition to practice for new graduates, virtual care and artificial intelligence in health care.

Particularly impactful to Joshi was the Indigenous Blanket Exercise, where delegates learned about the injustices faced through European colonization, and a research showcase, where students presented work on Indigenous health and barriers to health care for immigrants, along with many other important topics.

“Being in Saskatchewan, and engaging in sessions centred on Indigenous health and lived experience pushed me to listen more closely and reflect on how nursing practice is shaped by history, place and relationships,” she explains. “Stepping outside Ontario made those lessons feel more real and reinforced that nursing looks different across the country, but is grounded in shared responsibility.”

A group of students sit in a large meeting room.

During each CNSA National Conference, including the 2026 event, ONA student affiliate members gather at the Ontario regional session to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Students also participated in regional sessions to discuss mutual issues of concern from their province. It’s clear the constant support of ONA at those sessions and throughout the conference was very much appreciated. 

“I’ve had the opportunity to connect over the years with ONA leaders and staff at conference spaces likes CNSA,” concludes Joshi. “That continuity and mentorship has made a real difference. It showed me what advocacy looks like in practice and reinforced that entering the profession doesn’t mean standing alone.”