By Rachel Steel

Across Canada, nurses are facing a crisis. Despite their critical role in the healthcare system, their pay and working conditions have not kept pace with the demands of the job. The undervaluation of their work, gender bias in compensation, and the long-standing effects of wage suppression policies have made it increasingly difficult for Alberta’s nurses to thrive in a system that relies so heavily on their care.

While each province has its own healthcare system and wage structures, the problem is nationwide: nurses are expected to do more with less, often sacrificing their well-being for the sake of their patients. Nurses across Canada are now waking up to the reality that they are not compensated fairly for the immense value they bring to the healthcare system.

The Alberta-Nurse Pay Gap: A Systemic Issue

In Alberta, nurses are highly educated, dedicated professionals, yet their pay falls far below what other essential workers — such as police officers and firefighters — receive. A Registered Nurse (RN) in Alberta starts at a salary of approximately $70,000, while after 10-15 years of service, they may earn between $90,000 and $100,000 annually. Compare this to police officers, whose starting salary in Alberta is $75,000, and can rise well over $100,000 with just a few years of service.

The pay gap becomes even more significant when you factor in the fact that police officers receive higher salary increases each year and are often eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as hazard pay and bonuses. Nurses, on the other hand, have seen smaller wage increases over the past decade. This pay disparity is not just an issue of numbers; it is a reflection of a deeper, systemic undervaluation of nursing as a profession.

Systemic Discrimination and Gender Bias in Pay Equity

The gap in compensation is not simply a result of job responsibilities or skill level. It is rooted in deep-seated gender bias and systemic discrimination. The nursing profession in Alberta, as in the rest of Canada, is predominantly female, with women making up approximately 90% of registered nurses. In contrast, professions like policing and firefighting, which are male-dominated, tend to receive higher compensation, despite similar or even lower levels of educational and training requirements.

Police officers in Alberta, for instance, do not require a university degree for entry-level positions, whereas becoming a Registered Nurse requires at least a four-year university degree, with many nurses pursuing advanced degrees in specialties or leadership. Yet, over the course of a career, a nurse’s earning potential is significantly lower than that of a police officer, despite the fact that nursing involves a higher level of specialized knowledge, training, and responsibility.

The reasons for these disparities are complex, but one of the key factors is gender bias. The value of “women’s work” has historically been undervalued, and nursing is no exception. Police officers, firefighters, and teachers — all professions dominated by men — tend to receive more compensation, even though these professions are not as directly involved in life-or-death decisions on a daily basis, or in environments as stressful as those faced by nurses.

Canada’s Historical Struggle for Pay Equity and Alberta’s Legislative Gaps

Canada’s commitment to pay equity is not new. The country’s first pay equity legislation was enacted at the federal level in 1977, after Canada ratified the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention No. 100, which calls for equal pay for work of equal value. This legislation was a step toward addressing the historical wage gap between male-dominated and female-dominated occupations. However, despite the federal framework, Alberta has not followed suit.

Alberta remains one of the few provinces that has not enacted specific pay equity legislation or developed a clear framework for achieving pay equity in the public sector. The Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act does contain a provision that mandates “the same rate of pay” for “the same or substantially similar work,” but this is a general provision that applies to many types of workers and lacks the depth or specificity of comprehensive pay equity laws.

This provision allows workers to file complaints with the Alberta Human Rights Commission or take legal action in the courts, but it has not provided the robust framework needed to address pay disparities in gender-segregated professions like nursing. For Alberta’s nurses, this lack of legislative clarity leaves them with few formal avenues for challenging the pay gap. While nurses can technically file complaints, the absence of a dedicated pay equity law makes it difficult for them to address the systemic issues they face within the healthcare system.

Nurses and Psychological Injury: Why Presumptive Coverage is a Gender Issue

In addition to pay inequities, Alberta nurses are also facing significant challenges in accessing workers’ compensation for psychological injuries, specifically Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Nurses, who are routinely exposed to traumatic events in their workplaces, are being denied the same presumptive coverage offered to police officers, firefighters, and other first responders.

In May 2024, the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) reiterated their determination to fight for equality in presumptive coverage for psychological injuries through Workers’ Compensation. The issue came to the forefront when the Government of Alberta announced $1.5 million in grants to support programs aimed at improving the psychological health of first responders, such as police and firefighters, who suffer from PTSD. These grants, part of the Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders program, will help nonprofits and researchers develop better treatment and prevention programs for first responders experiencing or at risk for PTSD.

What’s troubling, however, is that while male-dominated professions like police officers and firefighters are automatically eligible for presumptive coverage — meaning they do not need to prove that their PTSD is work-related — nurses are not afforded the same protection. The Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) in Alberta mandates that nurses must provide proof that their PTSD is directly linked to their job, despite the fact that nurses, like police and firefighters, are exposed to traumatic events regularly.

This distinction, which UNA President Heather Smith has pointed out, is discriminatory. Nurses who experience traumatic events while on the job — including exposure to violence, critical incidents, or the emotional strain of dealing with terminally ill patients — are forced to provide evidence of the work-related nature of their injuries. Meanwhile, first responders in male-dominated fields only need a diagnosis of PTSD to receive coverage.

Heather Smith argued, “Nurses are routinely exposed to traumatic events in the workplace,” and should not be forced to wait for or be denied access to Workers’ Compensation benefits after experiencing traumatic events while on the job. Smith emphasized that nurses should be treated on par with other front-line workers, stating that they should not need to provide proof of a causal link between PTSD and workplace incidents in order to receive coverage.

Alberta’s refusal to extend presumptive coverage to nurses represents another example of how the healthcare system fails to acknowledge the dangers of nursing and the critical, life-saving work that nurses perform every day. This discrepancy, made worse by legislation like Bill 47 (the Ensuring Safety and Cutting Red Tape Act), is yet another illustration of how gender-based discrimination is built into Alberta’s policies — and why nurses continue to fight for equality.

The True Cost: Impact on Care and Nurse Well-being

While wages and benefits are an important issue, they are far from the only problem. Nurses are facing a crisis of burnout, under-resourcing, and staffing shortages. The situation has become more dire over the last few years, with hospital emergency departments and ICU units in Alberta stretched to their limits, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nurses are being asked to do more, with less. This often means working longer hours, caring for more patients, and taking on responsibilities outside their traditional roles. The emotional and physical toll is significant, and it’s no wonder that so many experienced nurses are leaving the profession. In fact, Alberta has seen an increase in nurse resignations and retirements, further exacerbating the staffing crisis.

The Alberta government’s approach to wages has only added fuel to the fire. In 2020, Alberta introduced a wage freeze for public sector workers, including nurses. While police officers and firefighters were largely exempt from these freezes, nurses have had their wages held down, even as the cost of living continues to rise. The wage freeze, combined with the rising burnout rate, has led to significant workforce instability. Hospitals now spend millions of dollars each year hiring agency nurses to fill gaps, costing the province far more than if it had simply addressed the pay disparity head-on.

The wage gap between Alberta’s nurses and other essential workers like police officers and firefighters is more than just an economic issue — it’s a matter of dignity, respect, and fairness. Nurses have been on the front lines of this pandemic, and they have been fighting not only for their patients but for a system that has long undervalued their work. Alberta nurses deserve better.

The time for change is now. We must advocate for pay equity, equal access to workers’ compensation, and ensure that nurses are compensated fairly for the vital work they do. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about honoring the women and men who dedicate their lives to caring for others. It’s time to close the wage gap, for the sake of Alberta’s nurses and for the health of our healthcare system.

Resources:

Canadian Human Rights Commission. Calculation of compensation No. 1: Guidance concerning the definition of compensation. Canadian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://www.payequitychrc.ca/en/publications/calculation-compensation-no-1-guidance-concerning-definition-compensation

Picton Gazette. (2024, December 3). Editorial: Dying for the job — Ontario’s nurses deserve pay equity. Picton Gazette. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://pictongazette.ca/post/editorial-dying-for-the-job-ontarios-nurses-deserve-pay-equity

Ramsay Inc. (2024, December 1). It’s a lot easier to say ‘heroes’ than to pay them: The case for systemic sexism. Ramsay Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://ramsayinc.com/its-a-lot-easier-to-say-heroes-than-to-pay-them/#:~:text=I%20know%20these%20numbers%20aren,the%20case%20for%20systemic%20sexism

CityNews Ottawa. (2022, February 12). We are all first responders: ONA says Bill 124 contributing to nurses’ wage gap. CityNews Ottawa. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2022/02/12/we-are-all-first-responders-ona-says-bill-124-contributing-to-nurses-wage-gap-,5057012/#:~:text=By%20CityNews%20Staff,and%20fire%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Hoy

Alberta Worker. (2023, November 21). AB nurses fight for equality in health coverage. Alberta Worker. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://albertaworker.ca/news/ab-nurses-fight-for-equality-in-health-coverage

Equal Pay Coalition. (2024). The gender pay gap across Canada. Equal Pay Coalition. Retrieved December 17, 2024, from https://equalpaycoalition.org/the-gender-pay-gap-across-canada