The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable, Joedy Wall, Minister of Health and Community Services:

Speaker, next week is National Nurse Practitioner Week, and I rise today in this Honourable House to recognize our dedicated nurse practitioners who are a vital part of our health care system.

I also welcome the President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurse Practitioner Association Jessica Peddle, who is here today.

Our government celebrates all nurse practitioners in our province who provide high-quality care in emergency rooms, primary care, long-term care, community health, in-patient services and beyond.

Budget 2026 committed $6.3 million for a new Nurse Practitioner Funding Model to support our platform commitment to make sure anyone can see a nurse practitioner for free, with no strings attached.

We will continue working with nurse practitioners to ensure our campaign commitment that anyone can see a nurse practitioner for free with no strings attached, and I encourage those interested to contact my department.

37 nurse practitioners are participating, of whom 17 provide continuous care, while 20 offer episodic services.

I also thank the association for its continued support and partnership on a comprehensive occupational review to ensure nurse practitioners are appropriately integrated within our health care system.

Speaker, I ask all honourable members to join me in wishing these compassionate and highly skilled health care providers a happy National Nurse Practitioner Week.