Question Period Note: Nursing Shortage

Indigenous Services Canada recognizes working conditions for
Nurses has a direct impact on the care received by clients.
• Nurses are the fulcrum of healthcare delivery to many First
Nation and Inuit communities across Canada, where access to
provincial services are not readily available.
• We are taking active measure to improve the working conditions
of nurses by introducing various improvements and initiatives.

In the vast majority of remote and isolated communities, nurses are often the only onsite
healthcare provider to respond to the full range of healthcare needs, including emergency care.
This work necessitates a highly trained resource with enough experience to be able to function
with confidence, which includes ensuring challenges encountered as a result of working
conditions are addressed.
ISC employees approximately 650 nurses across Canada in a range roles from front-line
service delivery operations to Senior Management. Approximately 85% of this workforce is
made up of part-time employees who commute from their homes in urban centres to remote
communities on a rotational basis to provide 24/7 primary care services. These nurses are
seeking access to the necessary clinical and technology tools and supports they are
accustomed to using as part of their standard practice in non-remote settings.
In order to meet the needs of nurses, ISC has implemented a number of strategies, including;
- Introduced a case management team (Nursing Services Response Centre –
NSRC) for nurses who encounter challenges in I/T, Compensation or other
work-related issues while in remote communities. This service offers VIP
service to ISC nurses and is available in both official languages.
- Support for newly onboarded ISC nurses, regarding IT account creations, cell
phone requirements, MyKey creation etc.
- Implemented policies in order to enhance the safety of nurses who work in
remote and isolated settings; and,
- Worked to include other health care resources into the models of care within
communities
Since 1975, the provision of health and social services in Nunavik has been in accordance with
the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. This agreement led to the transfer, from the
federal government to the provincial government, of most of the responsibilities concerning
services for Inuit communities, including notably health and social services.
ISC provides funding to support the delivery of health programs and services in Nunavik which
were created after the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement signature, such as
promotion and prevention programs. Clinical care programs such as nursing are not eligible for
ISC funding, with the exception of home care services.
The union representing nurses at Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Nunavik, Quebec has launched a
petition asking the provincial health minister to intervene in their long-standing calls to improve
working conditions at clinics on Nunavik’s Hudson Bay coast.
The petition accuses Inuulitsivik management of “administratively abusive” treatment of
employees and creating a toxic work environment.
It calls on the provincial Health Minister Christian Dubé to intervene by facilitating a negotiation
process between the workers and their employer; to order Inuulitsivik to meet the nurses’
demands for improved hours and working conditions; and to remove the health centre’s
assistant executive director from their position. The petitition has been signed by more than one
hundred individuals. Minister Dubé has not responded yet. ISC does not have any relations with
Inuulitsivik.

If pressed on nursing working conditions
• All Indigenous Canadians are entitled to quality healthcare
regardless of where they live.
• To ensure the ongoing delivery of quality healthcare in First
Nation and Inuit communities, we are:
o Introducing inter-professional teams to augment the
existing nursing workforce;
o Strengthening our promotion of nursing as a career
opportunity in Indigenous communities;
o Introducing various initiatives to assist nurses when they
encounter challenging conditions; and
o Supporting Indigenous partners to explore and develop
new and innovative ways of delivering healthcare services
to their communities.

If pressed further on actions being taken
Together with our Indigenous partners, we are
• Incorporating community based paramedics and other
community health support roles into the health care delivery
model;
• Focused on responding to the needs of this workforce by
including a case management service to address concerns
encountered in the work place;
• Supporting the use of technology in the delivery of healthcare
service in community.