Our History

Before ONA

In 1944, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) approved the principle of collective bargaining for nurses. This decision may have been influenced by the passage of the Labour Relations Act at the national level in 1944, which gave federal employees collective bargaining rights. In 1946, the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia (RNABC) became the first provincial association to be certified as a bargaining agent under a Labour Relations Act. By the 1970s, other provincial nursing organizations also gained this right.

The Creation of ONA

Between 1973 and 1987, nursing unions were created. Today, each of the ten provinces has a nursing union in addition to a professional association. These unions are the bargaining agents for nurses in collective bargaining with employers. For more information about ONA’s history and accomplishments, please click on one of the periods of time listed below or watch the ONA: 35 Years of Progress video for highlights of what we have achieved.

• Before ONA: 1963 - 1972
• 1973 - 1979
• 1980 - 1989
• 1990 - 1999

ONA: 35 Years of Progress

The history of the Ontario Nurses’ Association from 1974 to 2008.