LAUSR

Diversity highlights biological, social, and cultural difference between individuals and groups, including attributes such as race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. In Canada, the nursing workforce continues to be disproportionately Caucasian and heteronormative, which perpetuates dominant ways of practice that exclude diverse values and ideas. With growing racial and ethnic diversity, this commentary focuses on the urgent issue of visible minority (VM) underrepresentation within nursing. The population of VMs in Canada has been steadily increasing over the last several years, attributed largely to immigration (Statistics Canada, 2018). Racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity requires representation in nursing to provide culturally appropriate care to patients, families, and communities; however, the underrepresentation of VMs in Canadian nursing requires an examination and recommendations to address this issue.