Welcome To the Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses

Our mission is to protect and promote the health and well being of Canadian children, locally and nationally, by advancing the professional specialty of paediatric nursing, through education, learning, and advocacy.

Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses’ Statement on the discovery of the remains of 215 children in British Columbia

The Board of Directors and members of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses (CAPN) are deeply saddened by the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation. As nurses who care for children, the callous disregard for both the welfare and dignity of these beautiful souls is extremely troubling. We offer our deepest condolences to the families and communities of these children as well as to all survivors of residential schools and their families. We grieve with you and honour the memory of your children.

As we grieve the loss of these 215 children, we recognize that there is hard work in front of us. We must recognize the deep and lasting damage the residential school system caused our Indigenous communities. CAPN is committed to walking and working with our Indigenous communities through this difficult time.

The Board and members of CAPN call on all levels of government in Canada to accelerate the full implementation of all Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. These Calls to Action must be priorities at all levels and for all citizens. CAPN commits to carefully studying these Calls to Action1 and meaningfully implementing these in our own work. We call on all members of our organization to especially focus on Calls to Action 18-24, which focus on the health of Indigenous peoples.

CAPN also fully endorses and accepts the Canadian Nurses Association’s (CNA) Declaration Against Anti-Indigenous Racism in Nursing and Health Care2. We will work to integrate the principles from this declaration to both our work with CAPN and in our own nursing practices’.

We move forward with heavy-hearts as we remember these 215 children and all children and youth who suffered and perished in residential schools across Canada. We know we have many terrible discoveries left to face and we grieve every loss alongside our Indigenous communities. We commit to doing our part to dismantle the racist structures that led to these atrocities and that continue to exist.

Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses PRIDE 2021 Statement

The Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses (CAPN) celebrates PRIDE throughout the month of June 2021. As nurses who care for children and youth across Canada, the Board of Directors, and all members of CAPN are committed to diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of our work. We acknowledge and celebrate the valuable work that our LGBTQ2S+ members have contributed to both the health and welfare of children and youth across Canada, and to the nursing profession.

CAPN is committed to:

● Calling on all levels of government to act to end systemic discrimination affecting the LGBTQ2S+ community.

● Amplifying the stories and voices of the LGBTQ2S+ community, particularly those of our members and of children and youth.

● Working with provincial and territorial Ministries of Health and all health authorities to ensure that children and youth are not misgendered and deadnamed at all points of contact with health care.

● Promoting educational resources to ensure that all members have the best information to deepen their knowledge related to the LGTBQ2S+ community (e.g. The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity - Resources - https://ccgsd-ccdgs.org/resources/

● Exploring ways to ensure that there are safe spaces available at all points of contact within the healthcare system for LGBTQ2S+ children and youth.

CAPN acknowledges that while PRIDE is celebrated during the month of June each year, we are making an ongoing commitment to celebrate, amplify, and ally with the LGBTQ2S+ community.