October 2005

Information

Integrated Strategy on Healthy Living and Chronic Disease

Mental Health

Mental illness and mental health problems touch the lives of all Canadians. About 20% of individuals will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, and the remaining 80% will be affected by an illness in family members, friends or colleagues. Like cancer, heart disease or diabetes, mental illness is not a personal failing. It can happen to anyone and, as with other illnesses, people can successfully recover.

Mental health is a crucial dimension of overall health. Just as we can care for our physical health, we can take steps to maintain and improve our own mental health, as well as the mental health of our families and communities. People coping with mental illness, and those who help and support them, deserve care, acceptance and respect.

Addressing Mental Health

The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology is conducting nationwide consultations on mental health, mental illness and addiction as it prepares to draft its final report that will contain specific recommendations for reforming Canada's mental health system - including the development of a national mental health strategy. The Committee's final report is scheduled to be released in January 2006.

Under the Integrated Strategy for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease, $4.5 million will be allocated over five years ($1 million per year of ongoing funding) to address mental health. These funds will enable the Government of Canada to hold a series of roundtables with stakeholders to identify gaps in mental health-related policies in Canada. This work will help the government to develop its policy response to mental health, mental illness and addictions as informed by the final report of the Senate Committee as well as other important work undertaken to date by, for example, Citizens for Mental Health, the National Framework on Substance Abuse, and the Romanow Report.

These funds will also support the Interdepartmental Task Force on Mental Health. The goal of the Task Force is to coordinate the federal government's policies and practices that address the mental health of Canadians, as well as to work with the provinces and territories on mental health issues.

Other Federal Initiatives

The Government of Canada is working hard to address workplace mental health issues. Some recent actions include the appointment of the Honourable Michael Wilson as Special Advisor to the Minister of Health, the Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, on mental health in the federal government workplace. The federal government also recently announced a $3.2 million research initiative aimed at improving mental health in the workplace.

Working Together

Disease prevention and health promotion are integral to reaching our goal of a sustainable and effective health care system that reflects the needs of everyone in Canada. It is important we work together on all fronts to improve the health of Canadians. To address issues of mental health and mental illness, we need to adopt a comprehensive approach that links promotion and prevention with the delivery of mental health services.

In Canada, the planning and delivery of mental health services is an area in which the provincial and territorial governments have primary jurisdiction. The federal government, chiefly through the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, works closely with the provinces and territories to develop responsive, coordinated and efficient mental health systems. The resources provided through the Integrated Strategy on Healthy Living and Chronic Disease will help to further these collaborative efforts.