With continued pressure on the healthcare system across the country, the federal government has appointed "Leigh Chapman" as Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in Canada.

Chapman's role will be to represent nurses at the federal level, providing strategic advice from a nursing perspective to Health Canada as calls are made for more efforts to stop the crisis.

"Many healthcare professionals, including nurses, are currently facing tremendous challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic... In fact, several provinces in Canada are already reporting nursing shortages, affecting the operation of emergency rooms," said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos when unveiling  "Leigh Chapman" as the choice for the position, "critical health services that Canadians need and deserve."

Duclos said on Tuesday, "With this growing crisis, we need to support our nurses, and the challenges they face must be met with solutions.

We need the right advice and expertise to guide our way forward."

"We all look forward to learning from Dr.  "Leigh Chapman"'s extensive experience and vision... I am very confident that she will enhance the visibility, input, and impact of Canadian nurses at the national level."

 "Leigh Chapman" - a Registered Nurse (RN) with nearly 20 years of experience. She holds a doctorate from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Nursing. Duclos said she will participate in the development of broad health system policy, work with regulatory bodies and educators, play a collaborative role with provincial and territorial governments, and represent the federal government in public health forums inside and outside Canada.