National Nurses Week 2026

National Nurses Week 2026

National Nursing Week 2026 takes place from Monday, May 11, to Sunday, May 17, and celebrates the vital contributions of nurses across Canada.

This year’s theme is The Power of Nurses to Transform Health. The BC History of Nursing Society acknowledges and celebrates how nursing leadership and expertise have a lasting impact on health care in Canada.

In 1971, the ICN designated May 12, the birthday of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, as International Nurses Day. In 1985, CNA members passed a resolution to begin negotiations with the federal government to have the week containing May 12 proclaimed as National Nurses Week annually. Soon after, the federal minister of health proclaimed the second week of May as National Nurses Week. In 1993, the name was changed to National Nursing Week to emphasize the profession’s accomplishments as a discipline.