44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 20, 2022 10:00AM
- Oct/20/22 2:13:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is national small and medium-sized business week, and I am proud of our government's support for innovative projects that move our economy, our community and our country forward.
There is a small business in Châteauguay-Lacolle called Logiag, whose agrology and agricultural engineering experts help farmers adopt innovative, sustainable practices. With funding from the agricultural clean technology program, Logiag will participate in our greenhouse gas reduction strategy by calculating how much carbon is sequestered in farmland. That is just one example among many of our government's contribution to our SMEs.
Together we will build an economy that benefits everyone.
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- Oct/20/22 7:48:58 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I heard what the member had to say, and I really appreciate it, but we do know that a lot of those frontline organizations are really struggling to keep their doors open. They do not have the resources, and so many people are losing their lives. They are losing their opportunities, and they are getting into cycles that continue to bring them down a path that is not good for their mental health. I wonder if the member could talk about the urgency that those organizations are feeling in requiring the funding to do the work they must do.
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- Oct/20/22 7:49:33 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there is no question that there is enormous urgency. This morning, I had a meeting with the YMCA in London, a virtual meeting of course, and we engaged in a conversation about some of the challenges they are facing. They are also an outstanding group that deserves attention and positive comments.
What I can say to the member is that, throughout the pandemic, this government stood up for frontline organizations like no other government ever had. It was truly impressive to see fundamental and emergency funding flow to organizations that helped Canadians through. Certainly, yes, they are faced with a difficult time right now, and government should continue to be there for them as much as possible.
There is a need for fiscal restraint, and I think we all should understand that, but that does not mean that organizations cannot continue to receive support. I think all of us can collaborate to find ways to ensure that outcome.
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- Oct/20/22 7:57:36 p.m.
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Madam Chair, in his speech, my colleague across the way talked about the fact that the longer we wait to fund the services, the worse the situation will become. In the middle of the third wave, experts came to the Standing Committee on Health to tell us that we absolutely needed to quickly shift from one-time funding to ongoing, stable and predictable funding to reinforce our health networks. There is consensus not just in Quebec, but in every province. Quebec is certainly advocating to have health transfers increased to 35% with 6% indexing.
Will my colleague pressure his government to get that money on the ground as soon as possible? As he said, the situation is deteriorating day by day.
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- Oct/20/22 7:58:37 p.m.
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Madam Chair, if I heard the question correctly, and the member is asking if it is a matter of my applying pressure to the government to ensure more long-term stable funding, the answer is absolutely yes.
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- Oct/20/22 8:00:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the member and I do work on the committee together. I know his question is sincere, and he has a sincere approach to looking for solutions, so I want to thank him for the work he is doing.
The member has really spoken to an issue that is widespread. Not only in Ontario, across this country or in America, but also around the world, there is a stigma that has been traditionally attached to mental health funding. It was something that was hidden in most cases, and over the last few decades we have seen a transformation in the removal of stigma. Governments are now looking for ways to better position themselves to look for solutions in a very open and transparent way. I am proud to be part of a government that is taking this approach.
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- Oct/20/22 8:11:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would concur with the member for New Westminster—Burnaby that there is inadequate federal funding. Only about 10% of all health care funding relates to mental health, so what is important is for the government to work to step that up and work collaboratively with the provinces to ensure that gaps are closed.
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- Oct/20/22 8:52:08 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I want to thank my colleagues for initiating this take-note debate on mental health. While we may have different ideas on ways the federal government can assist the provinces, municipalities, organizations and families, it is imperative that we do not let this issue fall by the wayside, which has been addressed in many of the questions that have come up this evening.
As we all know, there are significant challenges when it comes to helping those who desperately need access to mental health and addiction services. We have all had our mental health impacted from various circumstances, but particularly in the aftermath of COVID-19. Breaking the routine of our daily lives impacts us all.
In the last election, I ran on a few specific mental health proposals that I felt would help improve the lives of those who need that help. We proposed that the federal government partner with the provinces by dedicating a significant portion of stable, predictable health funding to mental health to ensure that an additional million Canadians can receive mental health treatment every year. I noted the Liberals were also offering something similar, as has been talked about this evening, which was the introduction of a mental health transfer of $4.5 billion over five years. Unfortunately, that has yet to materialize, but, hopefully, the conversation we are having tonight will spur some action.
In the last election, we also proposed that the government encourage employers to add mental health coverage to their employee benefit plans by offering a tax credit of 25% of the cost of additional mental health coverage. We know that the government cannot solve this problem alone, and we must leverage existing benefit plans to help add capacity and funding to the system.
Another idea was to create a pilot program to provide grants to non-profits and charities delivering mental health and wellness programming. In communities and neighbourhoods across the country, there are already non-profits and charities supporting those in need. If the government can provide small grants for them to expand their operations and to use their existing infrastructure and networks, it could have an immense and immediate impact for those they serve.
Just this past week in the city of Brandon, my hometown, the Samaritan House Ministries, which does fantastic work under the leadership of Barbara McNish, announced that it has reached a crisis point. It goes without saying that the people of Brandon and area are incredibly generous and kind. From grocery stores to everyday citizens, people are stepping up to donate what they can. However, the demands coming through the door at the Samaritan House are so great that it needs help too. Tonight, I am here to plead with the federal government to immediately make the financial resources available to places like Samaritan House to ensure no one goes without a bed this winter. As the cold weather will soon be on its way, it is in desperate need of expansion.
In the past couple of years, the number of people in need of emergency housing in the city of Brandon has doubled. There are many reasons for this, such as addictions, mental health issues, poverty and food insecurity. The people at the Women's Resource Centre in Brandon also say the centre is working with a record high number of women experiencing homelessness. With the dramatic rise of energy, food and housing prices, it is only expected these numbers will continue to grow.
I am also here to call on the federal government to immediately work with local organizations in the community to build more co-op housing. The co-op housing model works. In the city of Brandon, the federal government will find willing partners who are ready to build if the funds are made available.
Like many communities, we are also seeing an increased number of people who are battling addictions. Not only do we need to send a strong message to organized gangs who are bringing and distributing illicit drugs into our communities, but we need to offer people suffering addictions a way out. We need to revise the federal government's substance abuse policy framework to make recovery its overarching goal. We also need to orient the Canadian drugs and substances strategy toward ensuring that everyone suffering from addiction has the opportunity to recover and lead a drug-free life.
In the last election, I ran on a commitment to create 1,000 residential drug treatment beds and build 50 recovery community centres across the country. Without timely access to addiction services, we will never be able to help people recover.
In closing, I urge members to go back to their caucuses and be a mental health advocate. i ask my colleagues in the Liberal caucus to please review the ideas I have put forward and adopt them.
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- Oct/20/22 9:36:16 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I have more of a comment than a question. I do not want to put the member on the spot.
One thing I have observed is that there is a lot of expertise and a lot of insight in this House, at the federal level, into the problem of mental health. I know that typically, when we have funding for health-related initiatives, provinces say they are closer to the situation, therefore they do not want any directives associated with the transfer of funding.
This is a case in which I believe there is a great deal of expertise at the federal level, and we should fine-tune our initiative and transfer of funds to make sure all aspects of this extremely complex ecosystem that is mental health receive the measure of support they need to be truly effective.
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- Oct/20/22 9:38:08 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the member for Battle River—Crowfoot could attest that it is very rare that we get along or find common ground on issues, but this is one tonight on which I really do appreciate his speech. It was excellent. He talked about a sense of urgency. He shared his personal story and his vulnerability. It was very generous.
We have an issue that we are seeing around this House, which is the need to deal with the patchwork of the provinces that deliver health and the urgency of the need to get resources out to them. We saw that urgency when it came to child care, but the government has not demonstrated that here, on this issue.
Margaret Eaton, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, stated that even if the immediate impacts of COVID-19 are subsiding, the mental health effects persist and will likely continue for years to come. The community mental health and addictions sector cannot meet these growing needs with the current patchwork funding and disjointed service delivery model. It is time to overhaul our mental health system.
I cannot say enough about how much—
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- Oct/20/22 9:50:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, my background prior to becoming a member of Parliament was in mental health and addictions, and also around many of the symptoms of poverty. It inspired me to want to get involved in federal politics.
On the ground, we see the trickle effect of the federal government underfunding provinces and territories, which then seeps into municipalities and local school boards. When we do not have the federal leadership at the top or we do not have funding provided at the top, it impacts those who are trying their very best to provide supports to those who need it on the ground.
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- Oct/20/22 10:07:10 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I cannot thank my colleague enough for her work around mental health, especially for Inuit, first nations and Métis people. She talked about reconciliation. In the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to action number 21, it is explicit. It states:
We call upon the federal government to provide sustainable funding for existing and new Aboriginal healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harms caused by residential schools, and to ensure that the funding of healing centres in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories is a priority.
Does my colleague believe there will be true reconciliation until this call to action is actually implemented and fulfilled?
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- Oct/20/22 10:07:57 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank my colleague for all the work that he does in the area of mental health, as well.
Reconciliation is going to be a very long journey because of the deep impacts that colonialism continues to have. Definitely, better funding, healing centres and healing programs will take that step forward quite a bit, but that will not be sufficient. There are too many investments and too many promises that have been broken, too many people who live in overcrowded housing situations and too many people who live in mouldy old housing units.
I think that making sure there is a focus on those healing centres would definitely take that step forward, but it will not be enough.
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- Oct/20/22 10:09:45 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, I really appreciate the space that the hon. member has given me to retell a story that is still so fresh in my mind that it still brings me to tears, which I was told by the Taloyoak Housing Authority. When, unfortunately, this young pregnant Inuk woman was told that, no, she was not getting a house, she died by suicide because she felt so hopeless.
It brings to bear just how much of a burden we are placing on our communities by the government failing our people. This is what I have been trying to focus on. How do we alleviate all of that burden that we are putting on the decision-makers when they have to choose who gets to live in what house because there is not enough funding for all of the houses that need to be provided?
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- Oct/20/22 10:20:06 p.m.
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Madam Chair, support services are absolutely critical. We need early diagnosis for young children, to catch the illness and the challenges that they are faced with, and to support them and their families all the way through.
In our communities we need to make sure we do not discriminate. The fact is that people cannot access mental health supports. The lucky ones who have extended health care can access it. However, a lot of people do not have extended health care. Access to mental health care is about the ability to pay in that regard, because it is so expensive. We need to make sure people can access services.
I would be remiss if I did not raise this issue as well. I live in a community where there are a lot of people who speak different languages. Having access to support services in their language is absolutely critical. The language barrier is real as well, and we need to break down those barriers. Funding needs to be in place to enhance access to supports.
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