Linda Silas
President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)
Assumed office
2003
Preceded byKathleen Connors
Personal details
Alma materUniversité de Moncton

Linda Silas is a Canadian nurse and trade unionist. She is the president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) since 2003.

Early life and education

Linda Silas grew up in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, a small community on the Restigouche River. Her father worked at the Abitibi newsprint mill, and served as president of the mill workers’ union local.[1]

Silas studied nursing at the Université de Moncton, where she graduated in 1983.[2]

Career

Silas worked as a nurse in emergency care, critical care, and childbirth.[1] She soon became president of her union local. She was elected President of the New Brunswick Nurses Union, thus becoming the youngest nurses union center president in Canadian history.[2] She remained in that position for 10 years.[3]

In 2003, she was elected president of the CFNU, a position she still holds today.[2]

Advocacy

Under Silas's tenure, the CFNU remained a nonpartisan union center. However, Silas has been a vocal political actor on healthcare issues in Canada.[4] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she repeatedly called on provincial governments to hire more health care workers.[5][6]

Linda Silas is longtime advocate of universal pharmacare.[7] She claims implementing this policy is especially urgent during a global pandemic.[8]

Bid for CLC leadership

On 3 January 2020, Linda Silas announced she was running to become president of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Canada's House of Labour.[9] Her candidacy was endorsed by major Canadian trade unions such as Teamsters Canada[10] and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.[11] However, she terminated her campaign in March 2021.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Climenhaga, David (2020-01-03). "Linda Silas, president of Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, announces bid to lead Canadian Labour Congress". Alberta Politics. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  2. 1 2 3 "Linda Silas, President of Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Announces Bid to Lead Canadian Labour Congress". Nova Scotia Nurses Union. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  3. ↑ "Elected Officers". Canada's Nurses. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  4. ↑ "Nurses unions plan to get involved in federal election campaigning". Atlantic. 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  5. ↑ Savoie-Brideau, Pascale (24 June 2020). "Des travailleurs de la santé dénoncent un manque de protection dans les hôpitaux | La COVID-19 en Atlantique". Radio-Canada.ca (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  6. ↑ "Exhausted nurses have 'had enough,' leader says as N.L. rallies highlight staffing shortage". CBC News. 17 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Hall, Chris. "Interview - Linda Silas on Pharmacare".
  8. ↑ Wright, Teresa (2021-05-11). "Health care providers, advocates sound alarm over stalled action on pharmacare". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  9. ↑ "Linda Silas annonce sa candidature à la présidence du Congrès du travail du Canada". Le personnel infirmier du Canada. 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  10. ↑ Canada, Teamsters (2020-03-05). "Le syndicat des Teamsters appuie Linda Silas à la présidence du CTC". Teamsters Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2021-12-11. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  11. ↑ "PIPSC Endorses Linda Silas for CLC President". The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  12. ↑ Climenhaga, David (2021-03-05). "Amid pandemic chaos, CFNU President Linda Silas ends bid to lead Canadian Labour Congress". Alberta Politics. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
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