As of July 1, 2026, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in Ontario will no longer have a specialty associated with their certificate

CNO, the Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators (CCRNR) and other system partners are collaborating toward the common goal of ensuring that NP regulation continues to protect the public.

Currently, there are three population focused certificates for NPs in Ontario: Primary Health Care, Adult and Pediatric. CNO is working with national partners to change this to a single NP classification, so NPs, employers and government have the flexibility and agility to deliver accessible services across patient populations and practice settings. Under this new framework, NPs will have more opportunities to fill critical and vacant positions in underserved, rural and remote communities that may rely on NP models of primary care.

Our shared vision for a single NP classification is to:

  • enable the appropriate national level of regulation in the public’s interest
  • facilitate collaboration among system partners
  • facilitate labour mobility in Canada

The NP regulation framework is expected to ensure consistency in:

  • graduate-level education programs aligned with revised NP entry-level competencies (ELCs)
  • a single national NP entry-level exam for NPs across Canada
  • one NP registration classification based on core NP ELCs

Working with system partners

CNO is working closely with CCRNR (regulators across the country), government and health sector partners including employers, academics and NPs, to support implementing this new regulatory framework.

Linear graph of the planning process - see image description after image
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Project updates:

  • Dec. 11, 2025: CNO invited nurses and system partners to participate in a 60-day consultation and provide feedback about the draft CNO by-law amendments to support a single NP class. This consultation will close on February 9, 2026.
  • Dec. 11, 2025: Council approved the Canadian Nurse Practitioner Licensure Examination as the new national NP registration exam, which will come into effect on July 1, 2026
  • Dec. 2025: The Ontario government approved NP regulation amendments under Ontario Regulation 275/94 with an in-effect date of July 1, 2026.
  • March 19, 2025: Council approved the proposed NP regulation amendments for submission to the Ministry of Health.
  • Feb. 11, 2025: The Canadian Nurse Practitioner (NP) Licensure Exam blueprint was made available (in English and French). This blueprint builds on work completed by the CCRNR and nursing regulators across Canada. The NP exam blueprint was a necessary step to develop the Canadian NP Licensure Exam and is part of the new national NP regulatory model.
  • Sept. 26, 2024: System partners were invited to participate in a 60-day consultation and provide feedback about the draft NP regulation amendments.
  • Sept. 25, 2024: CNO's Council approved proposed NP regulation amendments for a 60-day public consultation, seeking feedback from registrants and system partners.
  • Sept. 5, 2024: CNO held a virtual Town Hall where we discussed ongoing plans for moving toward a single classification of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in Ontario, in keeping with the National Nurse Practitioner Regulation Framework Implementation Plan Project. You can watch the recording of the Town Hall here.
  • Sept. 1, 2024: Ontario universities have ramped down NP entry-level specialty education programs and begun using the revised national NP entry-level competencies (ELCs) — which were endorsed by Council in December 2022 — in nurse practitioner education programs to educate NPs across patient populations and practice settings.