Ontario nursing students should know a simple truth: ONA has their back.
This was evident at the 2025 National Conference of the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA), held from January 29 to February 1 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where ONA , a gold sponsor of the event, staffed a popular booth to hand out union-branded swag and talk to students directly.
“ONA recognizes the state of health-care and the problems that students are facing,” Region 5 Vice-President and First Vice-President-elect Alan Warrington told the Ontario Regional meeting of the conference.
He provided a general overview of the union, our campaigns, and advocacy to the government on issues such as increased financial support that matches the cost of living, conversion of unpaid internships into fully-paid clinical placements, and concerns about simulation-based learning programming.
“We’re committed to fighting with and for students, and encourage you to be bold and brave to call for change,” he said.
Under the theme, Together for Tomorrow: Driving Change for More Inclusive Health Care, the conference provided interactive sessions designed specifically for Canadian nursing students to explore innovative approaches, actionable insights and meaningful dialogues to empower the next generation of nurses.
Warrington also spoke on behalf of ONA on a panel entitled, “Maritime Nursing Leadership: Open Discussion,” highlighting barriers facing nursing students, novice nurses, internationally educated nurses, the affordability crisis and the premiums for specialty areas in nursing.
And it’s clear the support of ONA was very much appreciated by the students in attendance.
“Having ONA present at the CNSA National Conference is a beautiful display of support and solidarity from what is, for many attendees, their future union,” explains CNSA Director of Membership Development Alisha D’souza. “Nursing students are future nurses and ONA’s constant presence makes it known that they hear and value the student voice.”
Several resolutions also passed at the convention, including one in keeping with a key policy objective for ONA: “That the 2025 national assembly moves to adopt the position statement, “Call for Minimum Nurse to Patient Ratios.”
Opeyemi Kehinde, a nursing student from St. Lawrence College, was elected president and will be spotlighted in an upcoming F-Word story.
“The CNSA conference is the national platform for nursing students across Canada, where hand-in-hand we give each other the confidence to use our voice and together, our voices are amplified for an effective change,” she says. “Having ONA attend this event gives validation to our voices and the mentorship we need and appreciate.”
