Welcome here, minister. Minister, carbon taxes, trade concessions, supply chain problems, government regulations, adverse weather — these are all beyond the control of our farmers today, yet they can all negatively impact a farmer’s mental health.

In 2019, the House of Commons Agriculture Committee issued a report on this matter. It recommended that the Government of Canada educate business partners and other stakeholders who work with farmers to detect the signs of distress in order to refer farmers to resources that can help them.

Minister, beyond supporting the Guardian Network in Ontario and a program that Quebec has had for many years, what has your government done to address this specific recommendation across Canada?

I want to thank the senator for the question and to thank all colleagues in the chamber for inviting me to join you today to speak to what are important issues for Canadians when it comes to their mental health.

Senator Plett, I agree with you wholeheartedly. The impacts of climate change and the increasing challenges that Canadians are seeing, particularly when it comes to our farmers and our rural communities, are a significant challenge. As for climate anxiety, we not only see it amongst our farmers in rural communities; we also see it amongst our youth, who are increasingly worried about the future that they will inherit from all of us, including those of us in this chamber and the other place, where I sit, where we need to grapple with the most important issues of the day.

When it comes to mental health, in addition to the programs that you have listed, we have tried to — through the launch of the 9-8-8 helpline — ensure that we have a front-line access to support for anyone in the country, from coast to coast to coast, 24-7, 365 days a year, to meet individuals when they are in their immediate moment of crisis and refer them to local services and supports.

In addition to that, we have been working diligently with all stakeholders to establish a set of national standards for mental health implementation in all work environments, including those of the agricultural sector, so that those standards can be implemented by regional councils, authorities and other collectives who have an important part to play in their community.

In December 2020, a motion from B.C. member of Parliament Todd Doherty to create a national suicide prevention hotline passed unanimously in the other place. After years of delay by your government, the 9-8-8 hotline has now been operational in Canada for about four months. Minister, is your government doing anything to draw attention to the hotline across our farming communities? If so, how much is being spent to do this work, and how exactly are you promoting this hotline?

Thank you again, senator, for this important question.

On November 30, we were pleased to announce the launch of the 9-8-8 suicide prevention line across the country in both languages, available 24-7, both by phone and by text.

In answer to your question in terms of reach, 39 organizations throughout the country are patched into this network to meet the unique needs of local communities throughout the country.

I take deference to the long time that it took to implement the 9-8-8, senator, frankly. The U.S. system took four years to build. From the time that this unanimous motion was accepted in the House to implementation was two years, with the help and support of the —