Hon. Sabi Marwah: Honourable senators, it is not often that a Canadian institution is ranked as best in the world, yet that just happened when Newsweek magazine named the Hospital for Sick Children, or SickKids, as it is commonly referred to, as the top pediatric health centre globally.

The Hospital for Sick Children is Canada’s most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children’s health in this country. It is also a hospital of firsts — first in discoveries, first-of-its-kind treatments and first in innovations.

About 18 months ago, SickKids performed another first. A young girl named Ellie with a rare genetic condition had persistent self-injurious behaviour that was causing her significant harm. Her doctors at SickKids used deep brain stimulation to almost eliminate those behaviours, and today, Ellie is thriving.

The past two years of COVID have tested the hospital in new and profound ways. SickKids played a key role in COVID child vaccination efforts in Ontario. It supported adult-care hospital partners by accepting adult patients for the first time in its history. It implemented PCR school-testing programs, advised governments and assisted community on COVID matters and accelerated its virtual care offerings to ensure its children continued to receive the care they needed.

Despite COVID, SickKids continued its pioneering work on precision child health, which will shift it from a one-size-fits-all approach to medicine to health care that is individualized to each patient’s unique needs.

A mental health strategy was developed that will help SickKids achieve unprecedented outcomes in children and youth mental health through collaborations, innovations and partnerships. It could not have come at a better time, given the mental health impacts on children and youth. An organization-wide equity, diversity and inclusion strategy, or EDI strategy, was launched that provides a path of critical inclusion of diverse people and communities across SickKids care, research and education initiatives so that everyone can feel acknowledged, valued and respected.

Colleagues, the Newsweek ranking is a testament to the extraordinary nurses, doctors, researchers and staff of SickKids who have shown continual resilience, innovation, commitment and a willingness to go above and beyond to carry out their mission while keeping patients, families and staff safe.

I know this first-hand because I had the privilege to serve on their board of trustees for a decade.

Congratulations to SickKids on being named the top children’s hospital in the world, and thank you for all you do for children and families across Canada and around the world. Thank you.