Mr. Speaker, this week is National Nursing Week, a week that encompasses International Nursing Day on May 12, which also happens to be the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
It is an honour for me to rise in the House today to recognize the vital contributions that nurses make to the health and well-being of all Canadians. With more than 415,000 regulated nurses across Canada, they are by far our largest group of health care providers, and we should all take this opportunity to thank them for their selfless work.
There are many events taking place across the country, and I encourage all members and all Canadians to attend and show their appreciation.
I would also like to take the time to share the theme for 2017, and I encourage all my colleagues to tweet or share a Facebook post showing their appreciation for Canadian nurses by using the hashtag #YESThisIsNursing.
I thank all of Canada's nurses for their continued leadership in delivering better health care for our nation.