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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 100

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 22, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 100 - Sep/22/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Sep/22/22 2:53:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear the MP for Edmonton Manning talk about the child care costs his constituents are facing. I very much believe that one of the important ways our government and governments across the country can support hard-working Canadian families is by making child care not a burden. For too many families, child care is like a second mortgage. Thanks to our early learning and child care plan, that burden is being lifted from Canadian families. I am pleased the Province of Alberta has joined with us to do that for the member's constituents.
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Context: House Hansard - 100 - Sep/22/22
Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)
  • Sep/22/22 7:36:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week marks one year since the 2021 election and it has been another difficult year for many, with more uncertainty on the horizon. The impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt in our communities. Our health care system is under intense strain and the rising cost of living is adding stress to the daily lives of Canadians. In the last election the Liberals made a promise to Canadians that they would take steps to improve access to mental health care here in Canada. That is certainly needed as polls have shown that about half of Canadians suffered from worsened mental health since the onset of the pandemic. Unfortunately, too many Canadians are unable to access mental health care when they need it because of long wait-lists or financial barriers. We need a national mental health wait-time strategy to ensure people can access support in a timely way. We need to break down the financial barriers that keep people from getting the care they need. A cornerstone of the Liberals' promises on mental health was to establish a new permanent transfer to the provinces and territories to expand publicly funded mental health care and address backlogs. Canadians were told that an initial investment of $4.5 billion over five years would be made in this country through the Canada mental health transfer by the Liberals. Here we are a year later with no idea of when this money will get out the door. When the government announced its intention to establish a $10-a-day child care program, there were deals with all the provinces and territories in place within a year. Meanwhile, the Canada mental health transfer was nowhere to be found in the 2022 budget, and there has been no transparency on when this much-needed investment will be made. That is why I tabled Motion No. 67, to encourage the government to act without delay in creating this transfer and to take the steps needed to ensure mental health is put on an equal footing in our universal public health care system. I am going to read the text of Motion No. 67, as it reflects what mental health stakeholders have been telling us and calling for. It states: That (a) the House recognize that, (i) Canada is experiencing a mental health and substance use crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) too many Canadians are unable to access mental health or substance use supports in a timely manner, (iii) lack of access to community-based mental health and substance use services increases demands on hospital emergency rooms and primary care providers, (iv) untreated or inadequately treated mental illness carries significant social and economic costs; and (b) in the opinion of the House, the government should: (i) without delay develop legislation that will enshrine in law parity between physical and mental health in Canada’s universal public healthcare system, ensure timely access to evidence-based, culturally appropriate, publicly funded mental health and substance use services beyond hospital and physician settings, recognize the importance of investing in the social determinants of health, mental health promotion, and mental illness prevention, and include national performance standards and accountabilities for mental health and substance use services, (ii) without delay establish the Canada mental health transfer to sustainably fund the provision of mental health and substance use services and disburse an initial investment of $4.5 billion to the provinces and territories, (iii) report to Parliament annually on progress towards achieving national performance standards for mental health and substance use services. As we try to recover from the COVID–19 pandemic and navigate uncertain economic times, mental health cannot wait. Therefore, I ask the government when it will follow through on its promises on mental health and deliver help to Canadians who are struggling.
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