QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Health
Mental Health
March 25, 2026
Good afternoon, minister. The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs recently studied two Senate public bills — Bill S-205 and Bill S-209.
It came to light that both the correctional population’s mental health challenges and online harms that create mental health challenges affecting young people cannot be addressed through legal tools alone.
Within your mandate, minister, for public health and mental health, how does the government ensure that legislative approaches are complemented by broader public health strategies?
Thank you, senator, for your question. That’s an important one.
I would say that, yes, I’m the minister of mental health, but I cannot do it by myself; I need to bring all the partners and ministries around the table to tackle this specific issue. That is what I’m doing. We have regular conversations with my colleagues around mental health and this world of social media and the internet, et cetera. It will not only be the Minister of Health; it should be a number of ministries.
Thank you, minister.
How does the government ensure that those collaborative efforts you’re involved in result in consistent and accessible supports for individuals, regardless of where they are located?
As you know, it’s a big challenge. First of all, as I said, at the federal level, our responsibility is to work together to make sure that we’re doing all we have to do. Then we work with the provinces and territories that are delivering the services.
What I see on the ground is that it’s even more difficult when you are in a rural or remote community, for example, but I’m not the one who can provide services in those regions. Working very closely with my partners and also with the associations of rural health professionals will help us bring the right answer on the ground.
