All-candidates meetings are an effective way for RNAO members, chapters and interest groups to lobby key decision-makers on issues important to RNs, NPs and nursing students. It is a great way for RNAO members to present RNAO’s policy platform, and to assess competing candidates to see their position on critical policy issues.  
From health care to the determinants of health, all-candidates meetings cover important public issues that RNAO raised in its 2022 provincial platform, Ontario's nursing crisis: Your health, your health system. The platform provides recommendations to parties in five key areas: environmental determinants of health, social determinants of health, nursing, care delivery and fiscal capacity.

So far, the following chapters and interest groups have organized an all-candidates meeting:

• International Nurses Interest Group (INIG): April 21, 2022
• Middlesex Elgin Chapter: April 22, 2022
• Kingston Chapter: May 11, 2022
• Durham Northumberland Chapter/INIG: May 12, 2022 

If your chapter or interest group is interested in organizing an all-candidate debate in your region, please contact Ann-Marie Morris, nursing and health policy coordinator at amorris@RNAO.ca.

All-candidate meetings are an opportunity for many people to get the input they need to make an informed choice on election day and to increase nurses’ public profile.