> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thecanadareport.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Canada Nurses Under 35 See 34% Licence Non-Renewal Rate - URL: https://www.thecanadareport.ca/canada-young-nurses-licence-renewal/ - Published: 2026-10-15T20:19:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-15T20:45:05.000Z - Description: Young nurses in Canada faced a 34% licence non-renewal rate in 2024, raising fresh concerns about retention and burnout. - Author: Steve Cogbill - Tags: Daily News, Quebec | Sourced from 5 independent sources · no points in dispute | | --------------------------------------------------------- | Winnipeg Free Press, CTV News, SaltWire, CityNews, and ChrisD.ca Every key fact in this report is confirmed by more than one independent source. 9 key facts · 9 corroborated · none disputed This summary is compiled from the independent sources listed above. A new report has put a stark number on a persistent challenge in Canadian health care: 34 of every 100 nurses under 35 who were registered to practise in 2023 did not renew their licence in 2024. The Montreal Economic Institute based its findings on Canadian Institute for Health Information licensure data. Gabriel Giguère, a public policy analyst at the institute and co-author of the report, called the result “a very clear message about the retention rate of young nurses, and it’s a bad one.” ## Quebec Stands Apart Quebec’s result was worse than the national figure. For every 100 nurses under 35 who entered the workforce, 37 did not renew their licence in 2024, representing 1,931 nurses. Quebec’s difficulty retaining young health professionals also echoes the concerns raised in The Canada Report’s coverage of [nearly 400 Quebec doctors seeking licences elsewhere](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/quebec-doctors-seek-licences/) after the province’s physician pay overhaul. That broader mobility backdrop helps frame why the province’s nurse retention figures are drawing close attention. The report found Quebec was the only province where the ratio of young nurses leaving or not renewing relative to those entering did not improve in 2024 compared with the previous year. Its result remained virtually unchanged. The institute links that stagnation to Quebec’s Bill 10, introduced in 2023, which limits the use of private staffing agencies and subcontractors. The legislation is scheduled to be fully implemented by the end of 2026. Florence Plourde, the institute’s communications manager, said agency work can offer a level of control that some nurses value. “Restricting that option without improving flexibility in the public system risks pushing some of them out of the profession,” she said. That is the institute’s argument, and its policy prescription is clear: give nurses more choices over where and when they work. ## Burnout Behind The Numbers The report points to excessive overtime, poor working conditions, high stress and fatigue-related risks as pressures that can contribute to young nurses leaving or declining to renew their licences. A Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions survey cited in the report found 53 per cent of respondents showed signs of burnout. It also found 29 per cent met clinical thresholds for anxiety and 22 per cent met clinical thresholds for depression. Those figures add human weight to what can otherwise look like an administrative measure of licensing activity. A decision not to renew may be shaped by the daily reality of difficult shifts, fatigue and a workplace where younger staff are trying to establish a sustainable career. “Nurses are still suffering under harsh working conditions that make them leave in large numbers,” the report said. ## Vacancies Have Fallen, Pressures Remain There has been some movement in the right direction. The report said unfilled nursing positions declined to more than 27,000 in 2025, down from about 41,000 at their 2023 peak. Giguère described fewer openings as “obviously a good thing,” while maintaining that retaining younger nurses remains a pressing concern. The challenge is not simply recruiting people into nursing. It is keeping them there, particularly during the early years when schedule control, workload and support from experienced colleagues can shape whether a nurse sees a long-term future in the field. ## Flexibility Is The Report’s Focus The institute points to British Columbia’s shift-swap pools as one possible model. The pools allow nurses to trade shifts without needing administrator approval, and the report said young-nurse turnover in the province improved by 53 per cent since 2014. Its recommendations extend beyond shift swapping. The report calls for more flexibility through travel nurse agencies, private clinics and telehealth, as well as programs that pair novice nurses with more experienced colleagues. It also recommends renegotiating union contracts to reward skills and competence over seniority. Those proposals reflect the institute’s view of how retention can improve. But the core warning in its data is broader: Canada may be making progress on nursing vacancies, yet a substantial share of its youngest nurses are still not renewing their licences. **Reader-funded. No ads. No paywall.** The Canada Report is independent, reader-funded Canadian news — no advertisers, nothing behind a paywall, kept free for everyone. If you value it, you can help keep it that way. [Support The Canada Report →](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/support/) --- [*Source 1*](https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/2026/10/15/more-than-a-third-of-young-nurses-in-canada-do-not-renew-licences-says-think-tank?ref=thecanadareport.ca) *|* [*Source 2*](https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/nearly-2000-young-nurses-left-the-profession-in-quebec-in-2024/?ref=thecanadareport.ca) *|* [*Source 3*](https://www.saltwire.com/newfoundland-labrador/more-nurses-leaving-nl-report?ref=thecanadareport.ca) *|* [*Source 4*](https://montreal.citynews.ca/2026/10/15/quebec-nurse-retention-nationwide/?ref=thecanadareport.ca) *|* [*Source 5*](https://www.chrisd.ca/2026/10/15/manitoba-nurses-profession-report/?ref=thecanadareport.ca) ## Sign up for The Canada Report Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Your modern digest of Canadian news. Friendly, clear, and in your inbox.