The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) uses two key frameworks to ensure that equitable, inclusive and fair practices and principles are the foundation of all the work we do.
These are CNO’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy and Indigenous Equity Framework.
CNO’s DEI journey began many years ago, and the work of acknowledging the benefits of an equitable and inclusive organization has no end date. The commitment to this work starts with CNO’s CEO and Leadership Team. It can be seen in the ways engage with CNO’s Council, our employees, nursing registrants, community partners and employers.
What is diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)?
DEI is a set of principles that aims to ensure that all people are treated fairly and with respect. These principles include a focus on removing systemic barriers that affect historically under-represented or marginalized groups.
At CNO, we have built our approach to DEI around four main actions:
Evolve: Allow CNO to continue to evolve as an organization.
Educate: Provide continuous learning opportunities to staff, nurses, system partners and the public.
Engage: Engage with external partners so we can continue to learn and reflect on a broad range of lived experiences.
Evaluate: Use an evidence-based approach to re-evaluate our priorities and measure progress.
You can learn more in our DEI strategy document, Inclusion for All: Nothing About Us, Without Us, which you can download from this page.
What is our Indigenous Equity Framework?
CNO’s Indigenous Equity Framework is a companion document to our DEI strategy. Its goal is to identify actions that help us address historical and systemic discrimination and support reconciliation. Our work includes building meaningful relationships with Indigenous partners that are based on accountability, trust and respect.
In the 10 years since the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Report, a push toward acknowledging the Health Actions has given us a new perspective. Indigenous Peoples have rights that are covered not only by Treaties and land claims but by international legal frameworks (such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples), which Canada supports.
CNO has gathered the actions and initiatives that relate to Indigenous nurses and patients under an Indigenous Equity Framework. Through the framework, CNO focuses on helping to provide equitable access to culturally safe services, opportunities and resources.
The unique status of Indigenous Peoples and our agreement to not erase their distinct issues is a step most organizations will eventually take. We are happy to be leading this kind of discussion.
Why is DEI important for CNO and health care in Ontario?
CNO acknowledges the relationship between health equity and social and environmental factors, including income, race, where you live, gender and education.
Ontario is a demographically diverse province, and we know from CNO’s Workforce Census, that Ontario’s nursing workforce is also extremely diverse. This diversity makes cultural awareness, fair treatment, and inclusive practices essential for the nursing profession. When we recognize and remove systemic barriers within health care systems, we create better health outcomes for all Ontarians.
To ensure that under-represented and historically under-represented groups have a voice in nursing practice, CNO regularly consults with them on important issues, such as regulation changes, applicant experience, employee experience and the perception of CNO. We use surveys, focus groups and listening sessions for these consultations.
As Canada’s largest health care regulator, CNO has an opportunity to collaborate internally and with system partners to create a more equitable health care system in Ontario.
In 2024, we launched a three-year DEI strategy called Inclusion for All: Nothing About Us, Without Us. The strategy shifted our focus from a journey of discovery to an organization-wide movement to achieve transformational change.
We invite you to learn more by downloading the full strategy.
Land acknowledgement
CNO operates on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of many Indigenous communities across Ontario, which continue to be home to Indigenous Peoples.
CNO’s office is in Toronto, on land that is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
We are honouring these lands as part of our deeper commitment to Indigenous communities in Ontario.