Manitoba government to pull nurses ad that union says is demeaning to women

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is pulling a series of advertisements aimed at recruiting nurses after one of the images was criticized as being sexist and patronizing.

The ads have been online since February and tout Manitoba as offering a work-life balance.

They depict nurses, still in uniform, doing fun activities such as hiking in snow or visiting an art gallery.

One ad used a stock photo of three women getting facial treatments at a spa, and a nurses uniform and stethoscope were photoshopped onto one of the women.

The ads were criticized on social media.

Health Minister Cameron Friesen says the ads will be pulled.

“Yeah, this is … odd,” read a post on Friesen’s Twitter account Thursday.

“As minister, I don’t normally wade too far into advertising campaigns. However, I share the same concerns as everyone else does about the images, have ordered them removed, and will have internal discussions about next steps in the days to come.”

The Manitoba Nurses Union condemned the ads.

“This is tone deaf and demeaning to women and Manitoba’s nurses, who are dealing with 16 hour workdays, record (overtime), and crushing workloads,” the union said on Facebook.