Government regulation on interjurisdictional mobility takes effect

The Ontario government has approved legislative amendments to enable interjurisdictional mobility for select registered health professionals related to Bill 60, Your Health Act, 2023.

Under Bill 60, nurses registered in an equivalent category in other Canadian jurisdictions can temporarily practice in Ontario, while completing their registration with CNO.

“We know that nurses registered in other Canadian provinces and territories have the knowledge, skill and judgement to practice safely and issuing an approved certificate of registration in Ontario remains the optimal way to ensure nurses, are qualified and safe to practice in this province,” says Silvie Crawford, CNO’s Executive Director & CEO. “As a leader in patient safety, we engaged with government to provide valuable feedback about the potential impacts of this change and have introduced new processes to quickly register nurses.”

CNO continues to prioritize work to reduce barriers to nursing registration requirements to ensure assessment processes are informed, fair, inclusive and effective, to contribute to improved access to safe nursing care.

We are committed to working with government and partners to facilitate the timely registration of Canadian out-of-province nurses and achieve our shared purpose.

CNO’s efforts to reduce barriers on labour mobility

To enhance labour mobility and streamline registration for nurses registered in other provinces or territories, CNO has implemented new options to reduce registration barriers for applicants. These changes enable eligible labour mobility applicants to demonstrate their registration requirements, including evidence of recent practice and verification of registration, within a matter of days. This streamlined process upholds the standards and expectations for nursing practice while expediting the registration process for qualified applicants.

This process also helps employers in Ontario who rely on information provided on CNO’s Public Register, Find a Nurse, to verify a nurse’s eligibility to practice in the province.

Nurses registered with CNO are accountable to the standards of practice that support safe patient care. “Accountability and patient safety are at the core of what we do. We have mechanisms in place to address concerns. We also have a robust Quality Assurance program in place for nurses to support continuing competence,” says Crawford.

Each jurisdiction has its own set of regulations, standards of practices and guidelines that nurses must adhere to. It is critical for nurses to familiarize themselves with the regulations and standards of practice of the jurisdiction they intend to work in to ensure they have the necessary requirements to deliver safe and competent care.

Learn more about CNO’s new labour mobility option here.