A letter from RNAO to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was made public on Aug. 27, and was picked up by iPolitics and Canada’s National Observer. In the letter, RNAO formally asks the federal government to reinstate the role of national chief nursing officer, which was removed when Stephen Harper was prime minister. “Canada would be a healthier country if nurses and nursing had a role in our federal government,” says RNAO President Morgan Hoffarth, who co-penned the letter with CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun. Nurses play a vital role in our health-care system and they should also play a role in developing health policies, the letter notes. The letter also outlines other important health issues, including staffing issues that led to “preventable” deaths in long-term care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Homelessness and the ongoing opioid crisis were also addressed. “Homelessness is the product of decades of public policy choices by all orders of government,” RNAO notes in the letter. “We implore you (Trudeau) to make different choices.” In the article published by iPolitics, Grinspun proposes that "the start of a new parliamentary session, combined with the World Health Organization designating 2020 the Year of the Nurse, presents a timely opportunity for an announcement." (Aug. 28 and 31)