Colleagues, I rise today to call your attention to Mental Health Week, which was held from May 5 to 11, 2025.

Canada has made a lot of progress when it comes to recognizing the importance of mental health. Take, for example, the report entitled Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada, published in 2006 by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.

But 20 years later, the stubborn fact remains that the outcomes all of us desire are increasingly out of reach. Currently, approximately 50% of Canadians report having unmet mental health needs, and there is a crisis in child and youth mental health. Alarmingly, 75% of children with mental disorders do not have access to specialized treatment services.

Released in May 2025, UNICEF Report Card 19 ranked Canada nineteenth out of thirty-six wealthy countries in child and youth well-being. We have increasingly become more conscious that there is no health without mental health. What is also undeniable is the astronomical economic, justice and societal costs and the impact on productivity and quality of life.

Building a strong Canada requires our focused attention on productivity. Estimates from the Mental Health Commission of Canada suggest that the annual direct and indirect costs of mental health issues amount to $90 billion while more recent estimates from the Boston Consulting Group indicate an economic impact of over $200 billion annually.

Studies indicate that for every dollar invested there can be up to $30 in improved productivity. The Conference Board of Canada reports that treating a cohort of 10-year-old children for depression and anxiety could save $1 trillion over their lifetimes.

One of the recommendations from the roundtable report on mental health parity across the lifespan supports enshrining mental health, substance use and addiction parity in legislation.

The government deserves commendation for its investments in the Youth Mental Health Fund. However, it is crucial to note that, in this current government, we do not yet have a minister of mental health and addictions.

Colleagues, in these extraordinary times, let us seize the moment, focus on building mental health, substance use and addiction parity and invest in Canada’s future. Our children are depending on us.

Thank you. Meegwetch.