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Thursday, February 26, 2026

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Linda Silas

Linda Silas is a nurse and president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, representing nearly 200,000 nurses and student nurses across Canada.

Health care is a human right

  • The federal government cannot let privatization erode access to the public system.
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 11, 2026 | UPDATED February 24, 2026
Marjorie Michel
Marjorie Michel
Health Minister Marjorie Michel. The federal government should advance promised legislation on safe long-term care that would mandate adherence to national standards as a condition for receiving federal funding, writes Linda Silas. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Health care is a human right

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 11, 2026 | UPDATED February 24, 2026
  • The federal government cannot let privatization erode access to the public system.

Health care is a human right

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 11, 2026 | UPDATED February 24, 2026
  • The federal government cannot let privatization erode access to the public system.
Marjorie Michel
Health Minister Marjorie Michel. The federal government should advance promised legislation on safe long-term care that would mandate adherence to national standards as a condition for receiving federal funding, writes Linda Silas. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

It will take action, not handshakes, to fix Canada’s health-care crisis

  • Increased federal health-care funding and bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories are welcome, but let’s not fall under the illusion that the health
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | April 10, 2023
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos speaks with a staffer before appearing at the House Health Committee on March 23, 2023. The federal government can immediately start addressing problems driving nurses out of the profession through a new Nurse Retention Fund, writes Linda Silas. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

It will take action, not handshakes, to fix Canada’s health-care crisis

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | April 10, 2023
  • Increased federal health-care funding and bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories are welcome, but let’s not fall under the illusion that the health

It will take action, not handshakes, to fix Canada’s health-care crisis

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | April 10, 2023
  • Increased federal health-care funding and bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories are welcome, but let’s not fall under the illusion that the health
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos speaks with a staffer before appearing at the House Health Committee on March 23, 2023. The federal government can immediately start addressing problems driving nurses out of the profession through a new Nurse Retention Fund, writes Linda Silas. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Feds should listen to health-care ask to avoid nursing catastrophe

  • Nothing prepares you for your first serious car accident patient in the emergency room. Or the first time a child dies while you are
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | July 6, 2022
Premiers have been asking the federal government to increase health transfers for years so they can make critically needed investments into nursing, writes Linda Silas. Unsplash photograph by Vladimir Fedotov

Feds should listen to health-care ask to avoid nursing catastrophe

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | July 6, 2022
  • Nothing prepares you for your first serious car accident patient in the emergency room. Or the first time a child dies while you are

Feds should listen to health-care ask to avoid nursing catastrophe

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | July 6, 2022
  • Nothing prepares you for your first serious car accident patient in the emergency room. Or the first time a child dies while you are
Premiers have been asking the federal government to increase health transfers for years so they can make critically needed investments into nursing, writes Linda Silas. Unsplash photograph by Vladimir Fedotov

Vaccination, trust in science and patience is the only way out of this pandemic

  • A COVID-free future is within our reach, a future where it’s safe to hug again and where our smiles no longer need to be hidden
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 8, 2021
As Canada's nurses, we want to encourage all those living in Canada to receive the vaccine as soon as they are able. Together, we can contain this virus, end the pandemic and take part in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery, writes Linda Silas. Image courtesy of Pixabay

Vaccination, trust in science and patience is the only way out of this pandemic

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 8, 2021
  • A COVID-free future is within our reach, a future where it’s safe to hug again and where our smiles no longer need to be hidden

Vaccination, trust in science and patience is the only way out of this pandemic

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 8, 2021
  • A COVID-free future is within our reach, a future where it’s safe to hug again and where our smiles no longer need to be hidden
As Canada's nurses, we want to encourage all those living in Canada to receive the vaccine as soon as they are able. Together, we can contain this virus, end the pandemic and take part in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery, writes Linda Silas. Image courtesy of Pixabay

In face of scientific uncertainty, public health officials should adhere to the precautionary principle

  • On Nov. 3, the Public Health Agency of Canada updated its guidance on the routes of transmission of COVID-19 to recognize potential aerosol spread
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | November 18, 2020
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam occupies a public-facing role in the government's messaging around the pandemic. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

In face of scientific uncertainty, public health officials should adhere to the precautionary principle

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | November 18, 2020
  • On Nov. 3, the Public Health Agency of Canada updated its guidance on the routes of transmission of COVID-19 to recognize potential aerosol spread

In face of scientific uncertainty, public health officials should adhere to the precautionary principle

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | November 18, 2020
  • On Nov. 3, the Public Health Agency of Canada updated its guidance on the routes of transmission of COVID-19 to recognize potential aerosol spread
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam occupies a public-facing role in the government's messaging around the pandemic. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

New investments needed to build a healthy society, post-pandemic

  • With Canada continuing to battle COVID-19 and its profound impacts on our economy, the timing is less than ideal to appoint a new finance
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | September 3, 2020
Chrystia Freeland’s new role provides a key opportunity to make her mark and set Canada on a course toward recovery post-COVID-19, writes Linda Silas of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

New investments needed to build a healthy society, post-pandemic

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | September 3, 2020
  • With Canada continuing to battle COVID-19 and its profound impacts on our economy, the timing is less than ideal to appoint a new finance

New investments needed to build a healthy society, post-pandemic

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | September 3, 2020
  • With Canada continuing to battle COVID-19 and its profound impacts on our economy, the timing is less than ideal to appoint a new finance
Chrystia Freeland’s new role provides a key opportunity to make her mark and set Canada on a course toward recovery post-COVID-19, writes Linda Silas of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Feds should strengthen measures to protect patients from coronavirus

  • Outside Asia, Canada was the country hardest hit by the SARS coronavirus. By the end of the 2003 global epidemic, there were 438 cases
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 27, 2020
Health Minister Patty Hajdu is fielding calls from the nurses' union to follow the precautions being taken in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, as well in Ontario. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Feds should strengthen measures to protect patients from coronavirus

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 27, 2020
  • Outside Asia, Canada was the country hardest hit by the SARS coronavirus. By the end of the 2003 global epidemic, there were 438 cases

Feds should strengthen measures to protect patients from coronavirus

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | February 27, 2020
  • Outside Asia, Canada was the country hardest hit by the SARS coronavirus. By the end of the 2003 global epidemic, there were 438 cases
Health Minister Patty Hajdu is fielding calls from the nurses' union to follow the precautions being taken in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, as well in Ontario. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Canadians are clear on pharmacare: will the government listen?

  • A new federal budget will be introduced on March 19 and it will be the last before next fall’s federal election. The content of
Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | March 4, 2019
Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, pictured on Feb. 19, 2019, arriving on the Hill for a cabinet meeting. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Canadians are clear on pharmacare: will the government listen?

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | March 4, 2019
  • A new federal budget will be introduced on March 19 and it will be the last before next fall’s federal election. The content of

Canadians are clear on pharmacare: will the government listen?

Opinion | BY LINDA SILAS | March 4, 2019
  • A new federal budget will be introduced on March 19 and it will be the last before next fall’s federal election. The content of
Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, pictured on Feb. 19, 2019, arriving on the Hill for a cabinet meeting. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
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