QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions
Virtual Mental Health Care
March 21, 2024
Thank you for being here today, minister. I’m going to follow up on Wellness Together Canada, which you mentioned. In the 2021 mandate letter, the then‑Minister of Mental Health and Addictions was instructed to sustain improved access to virtual mental health services with Wellness Together Canada. Wellness Together Canada is a free, federally funded platform to support Canadians’ mental health. However, as of April 3, 2024, the platform will no longer be available, even though access to mental health services remains a problem across the country.
Virtual health care, including mental health services, is increasingly provided by private companies. What is the federal government’s plan to ensure Canadians have access to virtual mental health services regardless of their ability to pay?
Thank you, Senator Osler, for the question, and for your advocacy on good health systems.
As we all know, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched the Wellness Together Canada platform because we were in a unique situation with Canadians, and for the first time ever, the federal government became a source and service provider of mental health care, something that we don’t normally do. But unique times required that important measures be taken to ensure the safety and resiliency of Canadians during that emergency. That said, we have now moved beyond the pandemic phase, which is why we insisted, through our bilateral agreements, that with the $25 billion earmarked for mental health care, provinces would provide comprehensive action plans for access to services for Canadians — where and when they need it. Jurisdictions are more than welcome to offer virtual options, particularly for rural and remote communities.
Thank you, minister. While convenient, virtual health care is often episodic, and can fragment continuous care or duplicate care, thus increasing health care system costs. Experts recommend that virtual care be provided within a person’s circle of primary care. What is the federal government’s plan to enable constitutionally compliant virtual mental health services provided within one’s circle of primary care for all Canadians?
Thank you for the question. One of the key components of the bilateral agreements was that each jurisdiction was required to provide a comprehensive action plan. What we wanted to see, and what we have seen, is that they understand the role of mental health within integrated primary care. We were pleased to see, as mentioned previously, that over a third of the funds allocated in most jurisdictions went specifically to mental health care services that they provided. We continue to work with provinces and territories in ensuring that an integrated approach to mental health is part of family and primary care.
