Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, today I rise to speak about an incredibly important organization in my home community of Centre Wellington. Portage Ontario is a leader in mental health and addiction rehabilitation. I continue to receive updates about their invaluable work, and am happy to speak again today to commend them on their successes.

In April, I received another update on their work and heard stories from a few of their clients, Reegan and Siv. I stand here today in the Senate to applaud these two young people and their hard work and dedication to their health and well-being, and I will continue to cheer them on.

As the chamber of sober second thought, it is our duty, colleagues, to give independent consideration to not just the bills put before us, but also to the problems ongoing outside this chamber. Mental health and drug addiction concerns are on the rise. There is a considerable lack of access to facilities for mental health and addiction rehabilitation.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 21% of Canadians — 6 million people — will meet the criteria for addiction in their lifetime. Organizations like Portage in Centre Wellington, and elsewhere, work diligently to address this issue.

Now, almost 50 years in, they have supported thousands of Ontarians in their paths to wellness. This non-profit has directly impacted the lives of many young people in a positive way, and I’m proud to have met individuals like Reegan and Siv who have grown to be productive, polite and considerate adults, having gained the tools needed to handle life’s challenges during their time at Portage.

I thank Portage for their continued work, and I hope today that all of my honourable colleagues can take the time to consider how they can support Canadians dealing with mental health and addiction issues, and what we as a collective body can continue to do to advocate for improvement of access to these services. Thank you, meegwetch.

[Translation]