Each year, the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) invites schools of nursing to participate in its National Student and Faculty Survey in order to collect and publish data on the total numbers of nursing faculty and students across Canada. This year, CASN, in partnership with the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association, has added questions to collect data on the number of Indigenous students, graduates, and faculty members. There will also be a new section related to the recruitment and retention of Indigenous nursing faculty and students.

The data collection is an important indicator of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report Action 23 (i) which calls for an increase in the “number of Aboriginal[1] professionals working in the health-care field” (p. 3).

CASN values your continued support of this important survey, and we look forward to receiving your responses.

For more information or if you have any questions related to the 2020-2021 National Student and Faculty Survey, please contact Jessica Pearce Lamothe, Managing Editor, Publications, at jpearce@casn.ca.

[1] This is a direct quote from the Truth and Reconciliation Committee Calls to Action (2015). The term Aboriginal is used in the context because of its use in Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 for affirming the rights of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit people in Canada.