44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 22, 2022 10:00AM
- Sep/22/22 10:05:31 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of Canadians who want a permanent end to the ArriveCAN app, the vaccine mandates and all COVID mandates. Currently, the government has only suspended some of the mandates, but thanks to opposition pressure, they will be getting rid of the ArriveCAN app and the border mandates.
The petitioners note that other countries around the world have removed all of their vaccine mandates and restrictions. The petitioners are calling on the government and the Minister of Transport to end all federally regulated COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions.
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Madam Speaker, before answering definitely yes to the last question, I would like to correct the introduction a little. The introduction to the question suggests that we have not worked together over the past few months. I suggest that my hon. colleague speak to his counterpart, Quebec's health minister—even though he may be a little busy right now—and check with him about all the exchanges we have had over the past year, which led to positive health outcomes, especially in the fight against COVID-19. Those outcomes have been significant for the country and certainly for all Quebeckers.
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Madam Speaker, I think there are two things at play here.
One is to make sure that when we are in a global inflationary period caused by Putin's war in Ukraine, supply chains that really have not been unsnarled yet from the pandemic and China's zero-COVID policy, we take a careful approach to make sure the measures we have are targeted so they do not increase inflation and make the Bank of Canada's job harder. That is one piece of this.
When it comes to making sure that people, this spring and throughout the summer, had benefits they could call on to make life more affordable, we passed the increase to the Canada workers benefit, we made sure we signed child care deals with everybody across the country, we made sure we had supports and—
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- Sep/22/22 7:40:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni for his advocacy and for the opportunity to address the House on what we are doing to support the mental health needs of Canadians.
We know that this pandemic has had a toll on the mental health of Canadians, due in part to the increased isolation, stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness that so many faced during the pandemic. Additionally, COVID-19 has pushed an already stressed health care system to its limits, and it can be a challenge for Canadians to know where to look for help, to find help, to find the right help and to access that help right away.
Right from the start of the pandemic, we have been there for Canadians during these difficult times. We acted right away during the very early days of the pandemic by introducing Wellness Together Canada. The Wellness Together Canada portal has served as an invaluable connection for many Canadians, allowing them to get the help they need even when they could not leave their homes, or to use it as a stepping stone to receive advice on where to find more specialized care.
The Wellness Together Canada portal is convenient and accessible, and it is working. With more than 2.7 million users, we know that this portal is helping to meet Canadians' needs.
Another need that we are addressing is the establishment of a three-digit suicide prevention hotline. As of next fall, on November 30, 2023, Canadians will have access to an easy-to-remember 988 number to call when they are in need.
We also recognize that even more needs to be done.
The Canada mental health transfer is a new permanent federal transfer to the provinces and territories to help governments expand the delivery of high-quality, accessible and free mental health services. Our government pledges to ensure this new permanent transfer is well-crafted. That is why budget 2022 includes a renewed commitment to work with the provinces and territories to develop a mental health transfer.
The Government of Canada also remains committed to funding the transfer with an initial investment of $4.5 billion over five years.
The Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has also undertaken extensive stakeholder outreach to gather views to inform the development of a comprehensive and evidence-based mental health plan. This engagement is ongoing and will also inform the development of the mental health transfer. The mental health transfer will be established with the benefit of input from the ongoing provincial, territorial and stakeholder engagement.
Our government has made historic investments in mental health, including $5 billion to the provinces and territories through ongoing bilateral agreements, which will provide $600 million annually to support the 2017 common statement of principles on shared health priorities. This is currently helping to increase the availability of mental health and addiction supports for Canadians. This existing transfer provides $600 million annually until 2027.
As we have also announced, we plan to work with the Standards Council of Canada to develop national standards for mental health and addiction services to meet the mental health and addiction needs of Canadians. We invested $45 million in this initiative in budget 2021.
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