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Nurses and staff at The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic Campus accepted 100 bouquets of tulips sent by the Embassy of the Netherlands Wednesday afternoon.
Suzanne Madore, the hospital’s chief nursing executive, said people were pleasantly surprised when they were offered tulips on behalf of Princess Juliana.
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“Flowers bring a smile to people’s faces,” she said.
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The delivery was a token of gratitude for the hospital’s role in Princess Margriet’s birth in the Ottawa hospital on Jan. 19, 1943. Following the Nazi occupation of her country, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands accepted an invitation to come to Canada in 1940.
When she gave birth to Princess Margriet at the Ottawa Civic hospital, the Canadian government temporarily declared the room where she was born extraterritorial – outside of Canadian jurisdiction – to ensure the newborn princess holds an exclusively Dutch nationality.
In a video message sent to The Ottawa Hospital, Princess Margriet said, “My mother presented Dutch tulips to Canada after the war. A gift, a gesture that has continued ever since.”
In an interview, Madore said The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic Campus is celebrating its 100th anniversary on Nov. 27. In her special video message, Princess Margriet acknowledges this milestone.
“Now the Civic Hospital is 100 years old,” Princess Margriet said. “My sincere congratulations on this festive occasion. I wish you a wonderful celebration and a bright future with a lasting contribution to good health for all the residents of my hometown.”
Madore said the tulips could not have come at a better time. “Not only in recognition of the organization as a whole and the Civic Hospital, but also our staff – it’s nurses’ week!”
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