Strengthening Canada's Healthcare: The Ongoing Need for a Chief Nursing Officer.

Given that healthcare delivery in Canada is primarily overseen, regulated and funded by provinces/territories, it may not be self-evident to all nurses what the distinctive contribution of a federal chief nursing officer entails. Over the 70-plus years since it was first established, the role of a senior nurse positioned within the federal government has been vulnerable to the whims of the ruling party, at times weakly supported and at other times eliminated. In this commentary, we make the case for widespread advocacy to help ensure that the importance of the role is well understood and strongly supported.