QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions
Indigenous Mental Health Services
March 21, 2024
Minister, you spoke about the billions of dollars in the newly signed bilateral health agreements and how the provinces and territories are committing up to a third of that money to mental health care.
Indigenous health, however, falls under the federal jurisdiction, and Indigenous people face multiple barriers to accessing adequate mental health and substance use care. Apart from the 2023 allocation of $13 million in funding to support Indigenous mental health, how is the federal government improving access to mental health and substance use care for Indigenous peoples?
Thank you, Senator Osler, for the question. As you mentioned, health care services for our First Nations and Indigenous communities do fall under the jurisdiction of Indigenous Services and Minister Hajdu. That said, she and I have worked collaboratively with Indigenous communities. There was the second annual National Summit on Indigenous Mental Wellness, which was held here in Ottawa, where we brought communities from across the country to share with us their experiences, their data and the practices that they are implementing, whether it is land-based programs or others that are really anchored within the medicine wheel and traditional practices that make sense for their communities. Indigenous Services allocates $650 million toward mental health and substance use services each year.
That said, we also know that there is a responsibility for provincial jurisdictions to partner. A recent example was in northern Ontario. Nishnawbe Aski Nation, or NAN, First Nations came to us collectively, asking for help and intervention with their youth. Working with my counterpart in Ontario, Minister Tibollo, $2 million of additional funding ensured that there were immediate interventions for those communities and their youth. This is how good, collaborative jurisdictional work happens, and we are committed to working that way.
