A Northwest Territories MLA and former nurse says permanent nurses are frustrated with benefits awarded to casual nurses over permanent staff, and that this divide has persisted for years. "Over the years, that practice of utilizing locums just increased to the point now where you probably have more locums in shorter-term contracts than you have permanent nurses." No Christmas, no summer when short-staffedFor permanent staff, those perks don't exist. Projected nation-wide shortageBetween April 2020 and March 2021, six permanent nurses left and nine were hired on. Across Canada, there is a projected shortage of nurses, nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses between 2019 and 2028, wrote Maguire.

Source: CBC News May 24, 2021 12:56 UTC