Canadians have historically been braggarts about our once world-class health-care system. Not these days. Our health care has morphed from something we could collectively gloat over to something we must all fret over. 

A case in point: Five emergency rooms in B.C. closed due to lack of staff over the Labour Day long weekend. Who knows what harms resulted. These closures are becoming commonplace — a glaring sign that our system is in dire shape. Canadians frequently hear about staffing shortages and the resulting burnout that plagues our doctors and nurses. What we don’t hear about so much is what’s driving these problems. It is multifactorial, yes; however, as a registered nurse of 13 years, I can tell you that one major driver is a cultural crisis within our public system.