A little more than 10 years ago and fresh from releasing a well-received report on healthcare in Canada, members of the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology asked themselves what they should focus on next.

The decision proved obvious — and intensely personal.

“Every Senator around the table had a close friend or a relative who had suffered from poor mental health at some time,” Senator Jane Cordy recalled. “That was sort of an eye-opener for all of us.”

In May 2006, the committee opened the eyes of the rest of the country as well with the release of the last in a series of reports on mental illness.

The final report, called Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada, led to the creation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and provided a raft of detailed recommendations that still guide policy decisions.

Today they are more commonly called the Kirby Reports after then-committee chair Senator Michael Kirby.

Though ten years old, the memories of this ground-breaking investigation — the first ever national study on mental illness — remain vivid.

“We travelled to all regions of the country,” said Senator Cordy, who sat on the committee. “I will never forget some of the people who spoke with us.”

One of those women told the committee about spending time in hospital with her husband. She had cancer. He was suffering from a mental illness.

Her husband’s employer sent flowers — but only to her.

“That just reiterated the stigma that was attached to those that have poor mental health,” Senator Cordy said.

Another woman, suffering from depression, burst into tears before the committee.

“I wish that I had breast cancer instead of a mental illness, because then I would not have lost my family and friends,” she sobbed.

Senator Cordy had dabbed at tears of her own.

“I’m not sure that Senators are supposed to cry when they’re hearing testimony from witnesses,” she thought.

Today, the Mental Health Commission of Canada continues to build on the Kirby Reports. It provides recommendations to governments and services providers, and it has created the first national mental health strategy to reduce stigma.

The report also supported funding for community-based programs and reforms to ease access to employment insurance and compassionate care benefits, to give just a taste of its 118 recommendations.

It is a comprehensive blueprint for change and a something the Senate was uniquely well-placed to create.

“You’re not doing these things to win a re-election — you’re doing them because they’re the right thing to do,” Senator Cordy said. “We were able to spend the time focusing on that specific issue.”

“I would definitely put this study at the top of anything I’ve done, because it’s made a difference.”

The return of Mental Health Week with this year’s Get Loud slogan shows the progress that’s been made.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Senator Cordy said.

“But I think we’ve come a long way.”

Note to readers: The Honourable Jane Cordy retired from the Senate of Canada in November 2024. Learn more about her work in Parliament.