BCNU Job Action Reflects a Healthcare System at Its Breaking Point
July 3, 2026
Filipino BC stands in solidarity with BC nurses as members of the BC Nurses' Union begin targeted job action.
The dispute is about far more than wages—it’s about protecting a healthcare system that is approaching its breaking point.
Filipino BC has advocated alongside healthcare workers for years, including leading early calls during the COVID-19 pandemic for the collection of race-based health data after hearing directly from Filipino nurses about the challenges they faced on the front lines. Today, many of those same nurses are raising concerns about a healthcare system that is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Nationally, Filipino nurses represent the largest group of internationally educated nurses in Canada, accounting for approximately 43 per cent of internationally educated immigrant women working in nursing. Across British Columbia, Filipino healthcare workers are deeply embedded throughout the healthcare system, serving in hospitals, long-term care, community health, and home care.
For the Filipino community, nursing issues are community issues. There isn't a Filipino family that hasn't been touched by nursing. Either we are nurses ourselves, or we have a parent, sibling, spouse, child, or close friend who is. Filipino nurses have spent generations caring for British Columbians, and today many are reaching a point of exhaustion.
This job action is about protecting patients just as much as it is about protecting nurses. When nurses are responsible for too many patients, everyone feels the impact. The quality of care suffers, nurses burn out, experienced staff leave the profession, and the cycle continues.
The question isn't whether we can afford to invest in nurses; it's whether we can afford not to.
If experienced nurses continue to leave because of burnout or are drawn to other jurisdictions offering better conditions, every British Columbian will feel the consequences. Supporting nurses is one of the most important investments we can make in the future of our healthcare system.
The current job action has been designed to minimize impacts on patients while drawing attention to longstanding systemic issues. The first phase includes a refusal to perform non-nursing duties and non-essential overtime, allowing nurses to focus on direct patient care while drawing attention to the growing pressures facing the profession. Essential healthcare services remain protected under provincial legislation.
Filipino BC is calling on both parties to return to the bargaining table with urgency and a shared commitment to addressing recruitment, retention, safe staffing, and the long-term sustainability of British Columbia's healthcare system.
