Three long months have passed since Saskatchewan’s provincial election, and registered nurses are still waiting for the commitment to form a nursing task force to be fulfilled.

SUN has met with our provincial nursing partners, and we are unified in our vision and ready to get to work.

With the first month of the new year now behind us, the hope that 2025 presented is also beginning to fade, and we cannot let that happen.

Frustrations have peaked, and there are fears for patient safety. Throughout January, terrifying stories of dangerous working conditions and violence, unsafe and unmanageable patient loads, and hallway nursing and overcrowding have continued to flood the “Your Voice” inbox.

I have shared these concerns with decision-makers and repeatedly stressed that delivering on the promise of a nursing task force is now more urgent than ever. I have also been clear that registered nurses and our nursing team colleagues seek much more than just conversation. We are far beyond that.

We need a task force with concrete recruitment and retention targets and the necessary authority and resources to implement new initiatives and get things done.

Recently, I have prioritized meeting with SUN members across the system. The ideas being put forward about how to retain, recruit, mentor and support Saskatchewan’s nursing workforce are thoughtful and imaginative. These are conversations that we should be having at a larger table with all stakeholders and decision-makers present. This, after all, was the promise made to both nurses and patients.

Nurses are tired of worrying and waiting. I hear this all the time, and I completely understand. The truth is there are no conceivable or logical barriers to the collaborative approach being proposed in the nursing task force. At its core, a task force is about working together to build a stronger, safer health system for everyone in Saskatchewan, and it’s long overdue for us to get to work.

A line from a recent member email has really stuck with me:
“I dream of a day that once again I can practice safe emergency nursing.”

Swap out “emergency” for any area of care, and I know so many SUN members share this sentiment. After all, providing safe, high-quality patient care is why we are all in this amazing profession.

We can achieve this again. It’s a dream that can become a reality if we stand together. I know you are exhausted and often feel defeated, but trust that SUN will never give up on you. We will never stop pushing for change. And right now, change starts with ensuring that the promises made are the promises kept. The commitment to forming a provincial nursing task force must be honoured – for the sake of our patients, Saskatchewan’s nurses, and the future of our health system.

In solidarity,

Tracy Zambory
SUN President