QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions
Canada Mental Health Transfer
March 21, 2024
Minister, your Trudeau government promised $4.5 billion for the Canada mental health transfer but failed to deliver anything. You also promised an online mental health portal, but your government is already shutting that down next week. Both these initiatives were tasked to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions in her latest mandate letter from 2021. You are now 0 for 2. One Ottawa-based mental health organization called the cancellation of that online portal “. . . a real slap in the face to mental health and substance use health care in this country.”
Statistics Canada reports that depression, anxiety and PTSD have not declined post-COVID. Increased substance abuse, which spiked during the pandemic, continues to be a massive concern as well. The mental health and addiction needs of Canadians have not waned, but your government’s commitment to these issues sure has.
Why aren’t you standing up for the most important priorities in your own portfolio at the cabinet table?
Thank you for the question.
As mentioned earlier, Wellness Together Canada was a specific measure that was put in place for the pandemic to meet the needs of Canadians who were, at that time, isolated and unable to access services in their jurisdiction due to lockdowns and other pandemic measures. We have moved beyond that phase and have phased out that program. Our financial commitments, including $158 million to the 9-8-8 suicide prevention line, which has now been implemented, in addition to the $25 billion that we have put forward through the bilateral agreements, are important steps in ensuring that mental health services are available.
This government has committed over $1 billion since 2017 to address substance use and the overdose crisis, as opposed to the previous Harper government that only dedicated $30 million to treatment and cut it by two thirds by the end of their tenure.
Minister, recently at the Senate Legal Committee, I asked the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association about your government’s failure to deliver one penny of your promised $4.5 billion Canada mental health transfer. She said:
. . . We were very disappointed that the Liberal government did not live up to that promise. . . .
On your government’s claim that funding will instead be delivered through provincial bilateral agreements, Ms. Eaton said:
. . . We don’t know how much provinces are spending on mental health or whether those bilateral agreements will actually deliver the kind of increase in mental health spending that we are looking for.
Minister, why does your government refuse to deliver the stable, committed funding you promised for mental health?
Thank you for the question.
While that testimony was given by Ms. Eaton at that time, the bilateral agreements have been very clear in their action plans and the commitments they are making to Canadians for mental health. As mentioned previously, it was a key principle of drafting these bilateral agreements. From what we see from the dollar figure numbers, over 30% of total allocations is going to mental health. Over the next 10 years $25 billion is no small number, and we want to make sure that mental health is part of a full, integrated health care system.
