Linda Silas is a Canadian nurse and trade unionist. She is the president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) since 2003.
Linda Silas | |
|---|---|
| President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) | |
| Assumed office 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Kathleen Connors |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | Université de Moncton |
Early life and education
Linda Silas grew up in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, a small community on the Restigouche River. Her father worked at the Abitibi newsprint mill, and served as president of the mill workers’ union local.[1]
Silas studied nursing at the Université de Moncton, where she graduated in 1983.[2]
Career
Silas worked as a nurse in emergency care, critical care, and childbirth.[1] She soon became president of her union local. She was elected President of the New Brunswick Nurses Union, thus becoming the youngest nurses union center president in Canadian history.[2] She remained in that position for 10 years.[3]
In 2003, she was elected president of the CFNU, a position she still holds today.[2]
Advocacy
Under Silas's tenure, the CFNU remained a nonpartisan union center. However, Silas has been a vocal political actor on healthcare issues in Canada.[4] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she repeatedly called on provincial governments to hire more health care workers.[5][6]
Linda Silas is longtime advocate of universal pharmacare.[7] She claims implementing this policy is especially urgent during a global pandemic.[8]
Bid for CLC leadership
On 3 January 2020, Linda Silas announced she was running to become president of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Canada's House of Labour.[9] Her candidacy was endorsed by major Canadian trade unions such as Teamsters Canada[10] and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.[11] However, she terminated her campaign in March 2021.[12]