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House Hansard - 114

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 20, 2022 10:00AM
  • Oct/20/22 6:50:58 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for Cariboo—Prince George for his moving speech and for his strong advocacy. Also, I congratulate him on his new function as the mental health critic, and I will be glad to work with him. As the member said, mental health is health, and it is a complex issue. Does he think that a diversified approach is required to answer the needs of those suffering with mental health problems?
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  • Oct/20/22 8:42:30 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Brandon—Souris. Five minutes to talk about mental health is certainly not enough time. I appreciate the grace and vulnerability that has been shared tonight. I also appreciate that every single member in the House has been touched by mental health. I appreciate that everyone acknowledges that this is a crisis. However, my frustration and anger is at a bubbling point, just like many Canadians around this country. We do not need more advocacy. We need leadership. This week, 31-year-old Burnaby RCMP officer, a member of the detachment's mental health and homeless outreach team, just three years into her career, Constable Shaelyn Yang was fatally stabbed while attending a homeless campsite before 11 a.m., in broad daylight. I want to tell the House what our Prime Minister said. This is a quote from yesterday in question period: We need to do more to step up on our mental health funding, as the hon. member before mentioned. He was referring to the hon. member for Cariboo—Prince George, who has been an advocate and has done great work. The Prime Minister went on to say: We need to make sure that we are giving our frontline police officers the tools to be supported as they encounter difficult situations. We need to make sure they are not the only mental health workers out there accessible to so many people. Unfortunately they have been. They have been extraordinary at it, but we need to provide better support. The provinces and the federal government need to work together to fund more mental health supports. That is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—
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