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House Hansard - 114

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 20, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 114 - Oct/20/22
Mr. Adam van Koeverden (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport, Lib.)
  • Oct/20/22 9:51:22 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is an honour to rise in the House today to take part in this debate on such an important issue, which is the topic of how we can collectively improve the mental health of Canadians. As we take part in today's discussion, I want to recognize we share a common commitment in this place to address this serious challenge together. Indeed, we all ran on a commitment to our neighbours, and I am encouraged tonight. This has not been a political evening. This has not been a partisan evening. This has been an evening where members came to share personal stories, personal concerns, priorities from their communities and messages from those who they have heard suffering. Before I start, I want to acknowledge the leadership in the House from colleagues from different parties. I would like to acknowledge my friend and colleague, the member for Cariboo—Prince George, for his leadership on suicide prevention and on the three-digit hotline. We probably would not be this far along if it were not for that member's work, and I want to thank him for it. I heard him on CBC the other day. It was nice to hear his voice when I was in my car commuting. In addition to the member for Cariboo—Prince George, I want to acknowledge my friend from Courtenay—Alberni. His leadership on the opioid epidemic and toxic substance emergencies across this country has been remarkable and inspiring, and I want to thank him for that leadership. I would also like to focus my energy a bit tonight on some local leadership in Milton. I was filming a video during the last campaign on a bridge in a park in Milton. It was a beautiful place. I was talking about important investments we plan to make in mental health. Dr. Nathan Pillai from Bayridge Kids was within earshot, and he came to talk to me afterward. He said that he had heard me talking about mental health and told me he was a mental health worker. He then asked if he could help. We exchanged a couple of emails afterward, but another conversation is overdue, so I expect to hear from Dr. Pillai sometime soon. Angelo Posteraro, Rod McLachlan and their group of amazing volunteers for the Play On! ball hockey tournament raise money for the Reach Out Centre For Kids every year, and it is an exciting tournament I love to engage with because it raises money for a really important issue. I also want to acknowledge Michael Burns and everyone at Re:soul, which is a drop-in centre in Milton. They do extraordinary work supporting kids. As I have said on other issues, I do not think our country should or can rely on charity for basic services we are all in agreement are essential. Many of the leaders I mentioned are engaged in fundraising activities, and many of our colleagues here are too, but we should not be relying on charity for services we all know are essential. We have been working hard to provide people in Canada with supports that are free and available whenever and wherever they are in Canada. One of those was that in 2020, in response to the pandemic, we launched the Wellness Together Canada portal to provide Canadians with access to those free 24-7 resources and supports, including counselling, on the convenience of one's telephone. The companion app, PocketWell, connects seamlessly to the portal and provides another way to help Canadians access online mental health resources. It has been a game-changer for me personally. This year, I turned 40. I have heard that prevention is treatment. I did not know how I was going to feel when I turned 40, but my life has gone through some changes recently. I used to be focused on personal endeavours, personal fitness and going as fast as I could in my little boat. I am here in a much more serious capacity, in my view, supporting my neighbours and being their voice here in Ottawa. It has been challenging at times. This job is tough. Lots of jobs are tough. Lots of Canadians are struggling for lots of reasons. That little app helps me check in every once in a while and reminds me what I need to do. It reminds me I have some needs. I need to exercise. I need to listen to music. I need to make sure my nutrition is good, and I need to make sure I am hydrated. Those things make my mental health a lot better. We do not need to be suffering to check in with ourselves. We owe it to ourselves to check in on our mental health and the mental health of those we love. I would like to focus on kids. School has seen a massive disruption over the last couple of years, and we are finally getting back to normal. That is why I was so thrilled to meet with Children First today. I met with Jamie, Meghan and Josephine. They talked to me about their struggles over the past couple of years with anxiety, eating disorders, depression and their sense of fitting in and belonging when they went back to school. Jamie, Meghan and Josephine are identified as gifted. They are intellectuals, and they are leaders. They are to be commended for coming forward to talk about these important issues on behalf of all of their classmates. Our government remains fully committed to investing a further $4.5 billion over five years for the new Canada mental health transfer. However, we know we have a lot more to do. We can improve. We will save lives. We need to work together on a holistic approach that addresses all aspects of mental health, not just the symptoms. Prevention is treatment, and I am so encouraged tonight by the collaboration evident in this House.
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