April 9, 2024
SHARE
Canadaland Politics
State of Emergency Rooms
We’re bringing you a special episode today from our friends at Commons. Over thirteen seasons, Commons has exposed Canada’s foundational reliance on monopolies, our addiction to real estate and the dark side of hockey. In their new season, host Arshy Mann is now dissecting the state of work in Canada to ask – how did we get here? And what can we do to fight back?
Arshy Mann
Host & Producer
Noor Azrieh
Host/Producer
Jordan Cornish
Producer
André Proulx
Production Coordinator
Karyn Pugliese
Editor-in-Chief

Across Canada, emergency rooms have been shutting down, leaving desperate people in the lurch. And at the heart of this health care crisis, is a labour crisis.

Nurses are leaving their jobs in droves, leaving hospitals understaffed and sometimes unable to carry out their most basic obligations.

In this episode, we’ll tell you how nursing went from a profession hailed as heroic to one in an utter state of crisis, all through the eyes of a woman who lived through it all.

Featured in this episode: Nadira Ross

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

To learn more:

“How Canadian hospitals became dependent on expensive, out-of-town nurses” by Tu Thanh Ha, Kelly Grant and Stephanie Chambers in The Globe and Mail

“How nursing staffing agencies are costing Ontario hospitals untold millions” by Mike Crawley in CBC News 

Sponsors: AG1

 

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. 

 

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

More from this series
 When the Liberals announced the national gun buyback program in 2019, it was supposed to be a simple and clear choice.
January 20, 2026
Mark Carney heads to Beijing, China, marking the first time in 8 years a Canadian Prime Minister sets foot in the country.
January 13, 2026
Consider this your 2025 political yearbook.
December 23, 2025
What is a middle power like Canada supposed to do when its closest ally goes rogue?
December 16, 2025
Legault’s government is sinking, the PQ is surging, and Secularism 2.0 just dropped. @samkonnert asks: is Quebec actually heading toward a referendum? Plus: John Rustad on being pushed out by his own MLAs.
December 9, 2025
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been pressuring Prime Minister Mark Carney for months on a new pipeline to the BC coast, and after a new MOU, she’s closer than ever.
December 2, 2025
all podcasts arrow All Podcasts
Canadaland Politics