RESEARCH · VIOLENCE
6 in 10 Canadian nurses experienced violence at work in the past year.
Workplace violence in Canadian nursing is widespread and structurally under-reported. The 2025 CFNU National Nurses Survey (n=4,736) found 6 in 10 nurses experienced violence or abuse at work in the past year. A 2025 BC peer-reviewed study (Lee et al., n=4,109) found that when nurses are emotionally abused, only 6 in 100 file a formal report — and 3 in 4 of those who don't say it's because 'nothing will change.'
The figures
BACKGROUND — CFNU 2025 · n=4,736
6 in 10
Canadian nurses experienced violence at work in the past year
What used to be 'part of the job' is now measured.
BACKGROUND — Lee et al. 2025 · n=4,109
6 / 100
BC nurses formally report emotional abuse at work — 12 / 100 for sexual harassment
The other 94 carried it home.
BACKGROUND — Lee et al. 2025 · n=4,109
3 in 4
BC nurses who didn't report violence said it was because 'nothing will change'
BACKGROUND — CCOHS / AWCBC 2024
5×
more likely Canadian healthcare workers are to be physically assaulted than workers in other sectors
BACKGROUND — CFNU 2025 · n=4,736
37%
of Canadian nurses received no violence-prevention training; 40% no health-and-safety orientation
BACKGROUND — Lee et al. (derived) 2025 · n=4,109
94 / 100
incidents of emotional abuse never reach a formal record
How to report workplace violence formally
- On-shift: ensure your immediate safety first. Call the security/Code White team; if outside the hospital, call 911. Don't try to de-escalate physical violence alone.
- Within 24h: complete your facility's incident report. In Quebec, this is the AH-223 form for any event affecting a worker; in Ontario, it's a JHSC-driven incident form. Keep a copy.
- Within 7 days for time-loss injuries: file a CNESST claim (Quebec) or a WSIB claim (Ontario). Workers' comp coverage applies regardless of whether the patient is criminally charged.
- Tell your union local — even if you don't want a grievance. Patterns become bargaining chips at the next round.
- Consider a CareVoice anonymous report. The patterns that drive policy change show up in aggregated counts — and aggregated counts need single events behind them.
Frequently asked
- How common is violence against nurses in Canada?
- Six in ten Canadian nurses experienced violence or abuse on the job in the past year (CFNU 2025, n=4,736). Healthcare workers in Canada are five times more likely to be physically assaulted at work than workers in any other sector (CCOHS / AWCBC).
- Why don't nurses report violence?
- A 2025 BC peer-reviewed study (Lee et al., n=4,109) found 3 in 4 nurses who didn't report cited 'nothing will change' as the reason. Only 6 in 100 emotional-abuse incidents and 12 in 100 sexual-harassment incidents result in a formal report.
- Is the violence mostly from patients?
- Patient-perpetrated incidents dominate the volume — but much of that violence is system-produced (one nurse for 8 dementia patients, no de-escalation training). 37% of Canadian nurses received no violence-prevention training and 40% no health-and-safety orientation (CFNU 2025).