PO Box 1132 Station F , ON M4Y 2T8

David Granovsky Lead Government Relations Canadian Nurses Association 50 Driveway Ottawa, ON K2P 1E2

Dear David:

Thank you for giving the Party of the opportunity to share our views on the issues that matter to Nurses in Ontario. I am pleased to respond on behalf of the GPO.

1. What will you and your party do to educate the public on the harms of non-medical cannabis use and support additional education for Ontario’s nurses?

The of Ontario fully supports incorporating the talent, knowledge and experience of nurses practitioners in the public education campaign on the harms of non-medical cannabis. Nurses are trusted providers of primary care in communities. It only makes sense that nurses are a key part of education campaigns.

We support using a portion of the provincial tax revenue from legalized cannabis for programs and services for mental health and addictions, including public education programs.

2. What will your part do to stem the opioid crisis?

Nurses are front line workers in this crisis, and need to be a key part of any strategy to stem the crisis.

We support efforts for nurse-run injection and overdose prevention sites as an important step in combating the opioid crisis.

The Green Party also supports the following steps to address the opioid crisis: • Declare the opioid crisis a state of emergency to not only help funds flow faster, but also provide focused, coordinated government leadership to combat the crisis. • Empower the Chief Medical Officer of Health to act more rapidly in response to public health crises. • Give the Minister of Health the power to authorize the operation of supervised injection sites when a public health emergency is declared. This approach would expedite the opening of new sites, especially in comparison to the federal government’s authorization process which will still be time-consuming and resource intensive. • Facilitate both government-sanctioned, supervised drug -use sites and popup sites run by the community. The latter should be supported as a key part of the

[email protected] 888-647-3366 www.gpo.ca

PO Box 1132 Station F Toronto, ON M4Y 2T8 continuum of care, as popup community-led sites afford certain benefits to people who use drugs that formal sites might lack.

3. What will you and your party do to support people in Indigenous communities recovering from opioid addiction and PTSD?

It’s critical to have Indigenous communities as partners in decision making processes and rollout of health delivery plans. We must improve culturally appropriate services to help facilitate better health outcomes.

We would support these principles through efforts such as: • Increasing recognition and accessibility of culturally-competent and diverse mental health and addictions services, and improve continuity of support as individuals move between public and private settings. • Increasing opportunities for community health partnerships in alliance with Truth and Reconciliation Initiatives to ensure people receiving help can be connected with community organizations. • Improve availability of supports and services in other languages, including Indigenous languages. • Increase the number of Indigenous health care and education professionals, and support their retention within Indigenous communities.

4. What will you and your party do to support Ontario’s NPs?

Our vision for health care seeks to make sure that access to care is available when it is needed, that it supports keeping us in good health, and that public health policy development considers the social determinants of health.

We specifically support: • Expanding the number of and access to Nurse Practitioner-led clinics in all parts of the province. • Increasing the number of Nurse Practitioners in long-term care, mental health care and acute care facilities to improve patient care and outcomes.

5. What is your party’s health-care plan and how can RNs and NPs help deliver it?

The believes in comprehensive primary health care as the foundation of the health system so that every person in Ontario has timely access to a primary health care provider and to ensure that health promotion, illness prevention and community well-being are at the centre of our health system.

[email protected] 888-647-3366 www.gpo.ca

PO Box 1132 Station F Toronto, ON M4Y 2T8 We support an integrated funding structure for health care, based on quality outcomes that will ensure that the best care is provided by the most appropriate and cost effective provider.

We would prioritize health care investment in frontline services rather than administration, ensure all care providers are working at their full scope of practice and provide equal pay for equal work across all health care sectors.

We believe in a people-centred approach to health. Our full health plan can be found at gpo.ca/vision/people/

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any further questions.

Samantha Bird Director of Operations Green Party of Ontario

[email protected] 888-647-3366 www.gpo.ca