QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions
Suicide Prevention
March 21, 2024
My colleague’s question addressed one aspect of suicide prevention, but I want to come back to the subject. What are the results of the suicide prevention hotline that was put in place and how does that work with the provincial associations that have their own suicide prevention hotlines? I’d like to hear your thoughts on that.
Thank you for the question.
What I will say is that the first quarterly data reports are out and available to be shared with provinces and territories. On average, we’re seeing about a thousand calls a day and about 700 texts per day on the lines, which shows that the system needs to be robust, well funded and well-prepared. This is why 39 local organizations across the country are available to provide services, both bilingually and in other languages that are more local to the jurisdictions that they operate in.
There is a fee regime with the number of calls with each organization when they are routed through to the 9-8-8 line to ensure that their volunteers or trained staff, who are answering the phone lines, can continue to maintain the operations of their services and also grow with demand.
Sorry, can you repeat the last part of your question? I apologize, Your Honour.
It had to do with the role of the suicide prevention centres in the provinces, but I think you answered my question in part.
With regard to the federal suicide prevention framework, how will the various provincial organizations — of which there are many, especially in Quebec and Alberta — fit into your new framework or the revised version the framework?
As mentioned before, obviously, the first line of collaboration will be with my provincial counterparts in provinces and territories, and we will work with them to ensure that local organizations are part of the discussions and inputs to the conversations.
Each jurisdiction is unique. To be frank, community service mental health organizations have been filling these gaps for decades to serve Canadians and residents in their jurisdictions. Their input will be critical in understanding how we build out a framework that really meets the needs of Canadians.
