The time to ACT is now

Jan 5, 2023

We all have the right to mental health care that is publicly funded and free.

Yet millions of Canadians are struggling and only some will get the care they need. The Act for Mental Health campaign is supported by a network of Canadian organizations pressing our leaders for Universal Mental Health Care.

It’s not just the right thing to do, research shows it’s the smart thing to do, and we can’t afford not to.
It’s a crisis we can’t ignore.

One third of people in Canada will experience a mental illness or substance use disorder during their lifetime. Yet one third of those people can’t get the care they need. As many as three in four children who need care can’t get specialized treatment.

That’s because the care that people need isn’t available, or it isn’t covered by our public health insurance.

Only some of us will get the care we need.

Canada thinks of itself as a just and caring country, but we have a blind spot when it comes to mental health and substance use health. Although there is mental health care here, only some of us will get it.

Under the Canada Health Act, only services considered ‘medically necessary’ are covered by our public health insurance.  That means mental health care and substance use health services delivered outside of hospitals and by physicians are, for the most part, not covered.

Funding this care would reduce the suffering of millions of Canadians and improve quality of life for all of us.

Mental health is a universal right, but Canada is not upholding it.

We aren’t meeting our international obligations. And more than that, we aren’t meeting our obligations to ourselves. Or to one another. The time to ACT is now. Read our white paper to learn more.

Learn more about our ACT for Mental Health Campaign and connect with us to get involved.

TAKE ACTION

If you agree mental health care should be truly universal and publicly funded, sign a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau telling him it’s time to Act for Mental Health.

Sign the letter HERE