McPherson, Debra
See Oral History Files, Fonds 18, Series 3, Subseries 8
During Debra McPherson’s Presidency of the BCNU, she negotiated a 23.5 percent wage increase for nurses. This was the culmination of a career that began with her graduation from St. Boniface General Hospital School of Nursing in Winnipeg. She worked briefly as a shift supervisor at Munno Yema Hospital for the Zaire American Peace Corps, and established intensive care units at the University Hospital in Edmonton and the UBC Hospital.
In the early 1980s she became active on regional BCNU committees, becoming Chair of the Vancouver Region BCNU in 1988. In 1989 she co-led the “No Vote” campaign, a pivotal moment in the history of BCNU. She became President of the BCNU in 1990, and was Regional Chair of the Vancouver South Region from 1994-1999. She was Acting President of the CFNU in 1999-2000, and from 1991-2001 was Secretary-Treasurer/Vice President of CFNU. From 2001-2002 she was President of the BCNU.
Contents of Biographical File
- Curriculum Vitae
- Jeff Lee, “Leader Takes a Hard Line: Nurses’ McPherson Has no Time for the Politics of Compromise,” Vancouver Sun, May 15, 2001, p. A10.
- Embattled Nurses’ Union Set for Leadership Election. thetyee.ca/News/2014/02/21.
- Photograph