Villeneuve has advanced transformations in the nursing profession throughout his four-decade long career.
Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing alumnus Michael Villeneuve (BScN 1983, MSc 1993) has been appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour. He is among a number of members of the U of T community to be named in the most recent round of promotions and appointments which were announced by the Governor General on December 31, 2025.
This distinct honour recognizes Villeneuve’s long career in nursing, his leadership behind many transformations in the nursing profession, and his role as the former CEO of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA).
When Villeneuve, who is also an adjunct lecturer at Bloomberg Nursing, got the call from Rideau Hall notifying him of the honour, he says he just about fell out of his chair.
“I was speechless. It’s very emotional to receive the Order of Canada because it comes from your country,” says Villeneuve. “I’ve been lucky to have received honours before in nursing and from nurses, but this is different, because it recognizes work done across the country for Canadians and Canada’s nursing workforce.”
A career of impact and leadership
Villeneuve who lives in Mountain, Ontario, has been a nurse for more than four decades. He graduated with his BScN from U of T in 1983, after first not being accepted into the program, and later came back to pursue his Master of Science, where he encountered the life-changing support and mentorship of U of T Nursing faculty members including, Gail Donner, Kathleen (Kay) Arpin, and Dot Pringle. He credits them and his education at U of T, for shaping his career trajectory and helping him discover his potential.
“Mike has lobbied for significant expansions to the role of nurses across the country and he is most deserving of this incredible honour,” says Robyn Stremler, dean of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. “He is a long-time and steadfast supporter of Bloomberg Nursing, and I am grateful that we continue to benefit from his leadership and passion for the nursing profession and the education of future nurses.”
Villeneuve spent the first half of his career in clinical areas, primarily in the neuro intensive care and neuro-trauma areas at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He had a goal of eventually become a Director of Nursing, but he had never considered the possibility of working anywhere else. Yet, when the federal chief nurse at the time, Judith Shamian, invited him to Ottawa to take on the role of a senior nursing policy consultant, he decided to take a leap of faith.
“That decision set me on a completely different career trajectory. It was also a lesson in mustering the courage to do hard things, because as someone who is introverted, it is hard for me to step into new roles,” says Villeneuve.
For most of the second half of his career, Villeneuve worked in a leadership capacity focused on the national nursing workforce. In 2020, highly visible race-based deaths pushed him to use his platform to convene a collaborative of national nursing organizations committed to confronting racism and discrimination in nursing and health care.
“Our CNA members were calling for strong and visible action, and as one response we were successful in securing CIHR funding for the first national study of racism and discrimination in nursing in Canada” says Villeneuve, noting that those reports will be published this spring.
When asked what he is most proud of in the second half of his career, Villeneuve points to the creation of the Canadian Academy of Nursing at the CNA, a coalition of nurse scientists and trailblazers from across the country, who are recognized for their leadership and the impact of their research. Until the academy had been established, there had not been a formal way to recognize the roughly 40,000 nurses in Canada who identify themselves as holding leadership positions.
“It is important that we support and honour them. The fellowship program highlights their contributions to good and innovative care, and it shows people who may not be aware, that there is a lot going on behind the scenes to make the health care system work,” says Villeneuve.
Looking ahead: Reimagining healthcare
As he considers the future of the nursing profession, Villeneuve is all too aware that the stressors of the pandemic linger, but he is hopeful that nurses will continue to be recognized for their capabilities as care providers and more optimally deployed.
“My hope is that we are able to reimagine healthcare,” says Villeneuve, “by having more nurses in community and in primary care providing that access to care that we all desperately need.”