Board of Directors Candidates 2024

I am completely bilingual (French and English) and I have professional experience in both languages.

I have a BScN from the University of Ottawa, an Emergency/Critical Care diploma from Red River College, an Advanced Graduate Diploma from Athabasca, and was one of the first students to receive a Master of Health: Advanced Nursing Practice degree from AU. I completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree with a concentration in Clinical Leadership from Case Western University. I have a firm belief in the scholarship of practice, and to that end maintain a part time NP practice to maintain my clinical competencies, primarily working with marginalized or underrepresented populations. I am currently expanding my educational journey by participating in the International Council of Nursing’s Global Nursing Leadership Institute scholar program.

My research interests include job satisfaction and role transition for nursing (NPs/RNs/LPNs), online education methods, mobile technology in practice, resilience in practice, nursing specific clinical outcomes, pharmaceutical influences for APNs, and point of care health efficiencies.

Tracie Risling RN, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary, the Vice-President of the Canadian Nurses Association, and the Past-President of the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association. A registered nurse for 20 years with a practice background in pediatric and public health nursing, Tracie has extensive nursing education experience teaching, conducting research and engaging in curriculum design and evaluation for both undergraduate and graduate programs. She also leads a patient-oriented program of health and nursing informatics research including study on artificial intelligence, social media, co-design, and the use of texting for wellness and workforce support. She is a passionate advocate for increased nursing engagement in the development, use, and evaluation of digital health solutions, which is reflected in her work with the new Doctor of Nursing program at the University of Calgary. Dr. Risling serves on the editorial boards of the Canadian Nurse and the informatics journal JMIR Nursing.

Statement of philosophy

In a complex and challenged world nursing has never been more essential. Around the globe in as many settings as there are people in need of diverse expertise and care nursing continues to represent the essence of our humanity. Driven by science and delivered with compassion nursing is a human centred endeavour that takes many forms in practice, administration, education, and research. The reach of nursing has never been needed more but as nurses navigate the increasing demands of this reality their voices must also be heard more clearly. My philosophy of nursing has always been aligned with the holistic and humanistic foundations of our profession. I believe in the unified power and voice of the nursing collective and that more opportunities are needed to encourage and showcase this. In my years as a pediatric nurse the value of collaborative care uniting both practitioner and patient expertise became another core value that I have continued to represent in my teaching and research efforts. I know nursing holds the answers to many of the challenges our health systems and the world face and I want to see the profession better positioned to be the first asked when those solutions are sought.

Platform message

It has been a privilege to serve as the first Vice-President of the CNA over the past two years. During this time, I have had the opportunity to not only interact with nurses across the country, but around the world as we hosted ICN Congress in 2023. Each of these connections has deepened my respect and admiration for the work that all nurses do and reinforced my commitment to our CNA mission to Make Nursing Better – for nurses, for patients, and for our public health systems. Never in my own 20-year history as a registered nurse have I seen the kind of challenge to the profession and our health systems as today. The reach and responsibility of nursing continues to expand and supporting this diverse work and the increasing demands on the profession will take a commitment to our recently refreshed CNA values of Courage, Equity, Diversity, Excellence, Innovation, and Trust. We must find new ways to unify the voice of nursing and then activate that incredible collective of expertise and passion to address the challenges ahead. From the far-reaching impacts of systemic racism and planetary health to rapidly advancing technology and pervasive workforce issues there is much to do. My commitment in this journey will be to remove every possible barrier that stands between nurses and the opportunities to deliver solutions the world needs and to loudly celebrate every effort so that this work is seen, recognized, and respected for the essential contribution it is in all our lives.

With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, I have held many nursing leadership roles. In addition to being a CNA BOD member, I am currently the Senior Vice-President in Patient Care Services at Trillium. I am also an Adjunct Lecturer for the Faculty of Nursing at UofT. A recipient of numerous awards including recently a Clinical Teaching Award in Nursing, I was also the recipient of the Mayor’s COVID Hero Civic Award for the work I did related to our hospital’s pandemic response, and also the relationships I bridged with the community, including the Canadian Muslim COVID19 Taskforce.

I am also the first hijab-wearing recipient of the RNAO’s President’s Award in Clinical Leadership. I have a BScN from TMU, a MN from UofT, and a healthcare strategy certificate from Harvard Business School. Prior to my current role at Trillium, I have held roles in Quality, Risk and Patient Safety, and the Regional Cancer Program Director. Prior to this I was the Senior Director of Surgery and Oncology at Mount Sinai, and have served in numerous nursing groups, including as a Board Member for OPANA, who was integral in the advancement of the first Perianesthesia Nursing certification with the CNA.

Statement of philosophy

Excellence in nursing is my passion, and with over 20 years of experience in healthcare, I have seen firsthand the important role nurses play in influencing policy and practice through engagement, promotion, and advocacy. My experience in this was reinforced over the past 2 years as the first hijab-wearing member of the CNA BOD, and it positions me well to serve as the next Vice-President. My diverse experience and inclusive perspective will continue to add a unique voice to the CNA.

I am a child of immigrant parents who had to find unique ways to be included at the table and often felt like my voice was not heard or represented. Through my own learning I have realized the important role I personally play in mitigating some of these biases and taking part in advancing this at the system level. Whether it be on issues of advancing equity and inclusion or anti-racism or advancing the role and scope of nurses including recruitment and retention, my diverse experiences in enterprise risk, quality and safety, clinical operations, and government relations, will bring an important voice and perspective to the table, with a mission to bring more inclusive representation with me.

Platform message

Having worked in one of Canada’s hardest hit hospitals by COVID19, I have witnessed firsthand the experience of the impacts of this pandemic on the profession of nursing, the disparities of health, inequities in health care, and the effects of healthcare system level decision making. With this context, coupled with dynamic geo-political issues across Canada and the globe, I am confident I can continue to bring level leadership, and play an ever-important role in advocacy and influence on policy and practice-related priorities that the CNA too has committed to. Thus, I am positioned well to serve as the next VP on the BOD.

I also bring a unique contribution to the CNA through my own lived experience as the first hijab-wearing CNA member of the Board, and as a woman of colour. Also through my extensive involvement in advancing equity and anti-racism in healthcare and in the academic settings, I bring a passion to elevate diverse perspectives and voices to the table. I am currently a co-chair of the UofT Faculty of Nursing’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenous Reconciliation Committee. As an Adjunct Lecturer with the Faculty, I also play an integral role in mentorship, community engagement, and have a longstanding track record of building bridges between sectors in academics and healthcare, and look forward to leveraging these experiences and my skillsets to continue to advance the priorities and partnerships of the CNA, and advance nursing excellence and the profile of the profession of nursing across Canada.

I am a Registered Nurse and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized People’s Health at the University of Calgary. Prior to my academic career, I was a Registered Nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, ON) and an interprofessional educator on immigrant health. From 2014 to 2023, I was a Professor of Nursing at the University of Alberta. My last role at that institution was as Director of the Intersections of Gender Signature Area, where I led the creation of an Institute for Intersectional Studies. I founded and continue to lead the African Child and Youth Migration Network, a network of 42 scholars from four continents. In 2020, I founded the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program. My work on the mental health of Black youth informed the creation of the first mental health clinic for Black Canadians in Western Canada. I have presented my work to several policymakers (including the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health). I serve as an Editor for the Canadian Journal of Nursing Research and am on the editorial board of two additional journals: Nursing Inquiry and Nursing Philosophy. I am an advisory board member of the CIHR Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health and on the Government of Canada’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Global Health.

Victoria Casas-Alcuaz is the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for the Frail Elderly-Older Adult Network of Fraser Health and a Consultant CNS for Long Term Care with Providence Health Care in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), and sits as a Board Director at the Clinical Nurse Specialist Association of BC (CNSABC). She has a healthy distaste for the status quo and a keen interest in bridging systems together for seamless transitions, Continuous Quality Management and passionate in changing the narrative on Workforce Well Being and Joy. She is accredited with Health Quality BC, Physician Quality Improvement (PQI), an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Fellow and Scholar as well as an apprentice to Irish poet, David Whyte's Conversational Leadership. She is an avid hiker and has yet to finish writing her first novel and book of poetry.

I have been a registered nurse for 46 years, retiring in 2018 from Public Health practice. During COVID I worked as an infection control nurse for a not for profit agency administrating vaccines and doing testing. I also developed and co-hosted a 6 part podcast series on Public Health Nursing called Stories from the Field: Public Health Nursing in Ontario. I have been on several Ontario BOD for nurses including the RNFOO and the RNAO.

Rinda Hartner is site manager of the Grace Dart Extended Care Centre at the Montreal West Island CIUSSS (Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres). She is exceptionally committed to the development of the nursing profession, the development of nursing leadership and the development and consolidation of humanistic care management. With her knowledge of the health-care system in long-term care, acute care and primary and community health, Rinda Hartner was named a surveyor for Accreditation Canada in 2019. She has since acted as a national and international surveyor and team member for Accreditation Canada.

Hartner holds a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in nursing administration from the Université de Montréal. She also holds a Lean Green Belt in health and social services from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, and obtained a certificate in public health and environmental health from Health Canada.

In 2011, she stood out by winning the Florence Prize in the emerging category, awarded by the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ), as well as the Care Challenge Award from Connecting Nurses in collaboration with SIDIIEF, in 2012.

She has participated in numerous research studies led by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) on public health issues affecting children and young people as well as research led by the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM) which affects the geriatric population.

The expertise I bring to the elected position is based on 74 years of life and 54 as a Registered Nurse. My personal life involves three adult children, their offspring, other family members, and friends who make me smile every day. I love swimming and fresh air. My professional life has been and continues to be very interesting and enjoyable. My last employment experience was 25 years at an academic teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, where I eventually joined the front-line staff as a hemodialysis nurse and then became the Clinical Educator on that unit. It was a great position that I remained in until retiring at age 69.

I am an active member in good standing as a Registered Nurse with CNA and the College of Nurses of Ontario, am retired from clinical practice, and pursuing advanced education as a PhD candidate in Nursing at York University in Toronto. I hope to defend in the very near future, which allows me time to concentrate on being a Board Member. My topic is Patient-Centred Hemodialysis Nursing Care.

Matthew Obumani is a Registered Practical Nurse with frontline public health experience, including COVID-19 response at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and case management for the Ontario Ministry of Health, where he supported thousands of Ontarians. He holds a PND from Mohawk College and is currently bridging into his final year of BScN studies at Seneca Polytechnic. There, he founded the Seneca Nursing Students' Association, served as its president to foster a collaborative nursing student community. Additionally, Matthew previously served as the Director of Membership Development for the Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA), advocating for nursing students nationwide. During his term, he co-authored the CNSA's position statement on the Canadian Housing Crisis as a Public Health Crisis and spearheaded the association's first growth in chapter membership in over 5 years. As a dedicated public health advocate, he also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Hamilton Youth Council, working to address food insecurity and homelessness in his hometown. Matthew will continue pursuing work that advances the nursing profession and strengthens Canadian healthcare.

Lucy Reyes is an example of an Internationally Educated Nurse who was able to overcome the many challenges of an Internationally Educated Nurse and created many successes. She is recognized for her exceptional ability to build collaborative teams, facilitate change, create, and implement strategic solutions, lead, and manage change across complex and multifaceted programs while developing people and improving systems. She is a strong strategic thinker who understands the needs of the organization and can adapt quickly to dynamic, complex environments while remaining calm under pressure. She is also an effective communicator possessing high level of personal integrity committed to excellence. Her passion for the Nursing profession got her elected to sit on the provincial council of the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses (College of Registered Nurses of Alberta) for two terms a total of 6 years’ experience in professional governance culminating with a Vogel Award for Exemplary Service to the profession.

In 2022 Lucy was the founding president of the Philippine Canadian Nurses Association whose primary goal is to advocate for the streamlining of the credentialling process for Internationally Educated Nurses in Alberta.

I am a New Westminster BC native now living in Ottawa. After graduating with my BSN at UBC I was employed at the Montreal Children’s Hospital in Child Psychiatry. The following years I worked with adolescents, adults and most recently older adults.

I completed a Master degree in Applied Science (nursing) at McGill University with my research study on family coping with long term mental illness.

I was fortunate to move to Kathmandu for three years with my family where, with a local psychiatrist, we opened a 14-bed psychiatric in-patient unit.

On return to Canada I held a variety of posts in Ottawa: CNS, Clinical Nurse Consultant, nursing professor, University of Ottawa. Wrote the first CNA certification exam in psychiatric and mental health nursing. Attended the U of T for Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Psychiatry. My most recent position was VP Professional Practice and Chief Nurse Executive. I have been active in research and publication. Implemented the nurse empowering Tidal Model of Mental Health Recovery. Over the years, I have received a number of awards such as the University of Ottawa School of Nursing Recognition Award.

Since retiring I have immersed myself in the community with board memberships, first with people without homes and now with older adults in long term care.

I am an advisor to a local resident group advocating for a NP clinic to meet the needs of our older adult neighbours who lack primary care.

I have advocated for the unique contribution that nurses make to health care. Current concerns: ageism, Canada Health Act, plight of nurses and eager to work with CNA as it addresses current issues affecting nursing.

I am married. We have one son and two daughters and 5 wonderful grandchildren.