The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on National Medical Laboratory Week, which runs from April 10 to 16, 2022:

“Today, as we mark the beginning of National Medical Laboratory Week, we pay tribute to Canada’s medical laboratory professionals. Whether they work behind the scenes or on the front lines of the pandemic, these dedicated professionals play an essential role every day in our country’s health care system.

“Our medical laboratory professionals provide invaluable and life-saving contributions to the health and well-being of all Canadians by processing, analyzing, and documenting test samples. They provide crucial data to guide diagnoses, treatments, and patient care for everything from cancer to COVID-19.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, close to 60 million COVID-19 tests have been performed in Canada, and efforts continue to trace, treat, and monitor the disease. Along with other health care and front-line workers, medical laboratory professionals have gone above and beyond to help save lives and protect Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and we thank them for their dedication.

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I invite everyone to take a moment to show appreciation for the invaluable work our medical laboratory professionals have done – and continue to do – to save lives and protect Canadians across the country.”