Who We Are

What is the Canadian Nurses Association?

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is a federation of 11 provincial and territorial nurses' associations and colleges representing 139,893 registered nurses and nurse practitioners. CNA is the national professional voice of registered nurses, supporting them in their practice and advocating for healthy public policy and a quality, publicly funded, not-for-profit health system.

CNA speaks for Canadian registered nurses and represents Canadian nursing to other organizations and to government nationally and internationally. It gives registered nurses a strong national association through which they can support each other and speak with a powerful, unified voice. It provides registered nurses with a core staff of nursing and health policy consultants and experts in other areas such as communication and testing. CNA provides the exam by which all registered nurses, except in Quebec, are tested to ensure they meet an acceptable level of competence before beginning practice. CNA’s active role in legislative policy influences the health-care decisions that affect nursing professionals every day. It has published a large number of documents, including the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses.