The Canadian Mental Health Association Bottom Line Conference Speaking Notes for The Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, Minister of Health

Vancouver, BC, February 4, 2005

Check Against Delivery

I am delighted to join you today.

And I was happy to accept the invitation from Michael Francis and his colleagues at the BC division of the CMHA.

Michael and I have a bit of history together - but I don't hold a grudge.

I've long since forgiven him for not accepting my own invitation a few years ago -- to run for provincial office.

It turned out to be a wise decision on his part!

In the meantime, he's continued to devote himself to public service of a different kind.

I salute him, and all of you here today, who are committed to reducing the impact of mental disorders including the stigma of mental illness.

I'm very impressed by the collaboration here among business and labour leaders, and by your list of patrons - a veritable who's who of influential British Columbians.

Today, in keeping with the theme of your conference, I want to share some thoughts with you about mental health and illness issues in the workplace.

I'm here on behalf of the Government of Canada to tell you that your efforts - and those of your CMHA colleagues, along with your many partners across the country - have made an impact.

You have helped put mental health on the federal public policy agenda - and on my personal agenda.

The profile of mental health issues has - it can be argued - never been higher.

In fact, it was included in the historic First Ministers' agreement that was signed last September.

I can also tell you that this is an issue to which I will be giving high priority.

As for my efforts, since becoming Minister, I have met with various organizations such as CAMIMH and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

I have met with leaders in the area such as Senator Michael Kirby and Former Finance Minister Michael Wilson.

And I have consulted with my department.

My remarks today will focus on the following: What I know and I what I've heard about mental health; what the provinces are doing; what the federal government is currently doing; and how I'm planning to proceed.

My general message today is simple:

I intend to build on the good work being pursued by provinces and NGOs.

I want to enhance the national dialogue on mental health issues.

I want to work closely with Senator Kirby as he completes work on his report.

I want to help de-stigmatize mental health issues.

I want to better coordinate current efforts at the federal and provincial levels.

And I plan to actively pursue a more comprehensive, more integrated approach to better deal with mental illness in Canada.

I first became personally aware of immense social cost and human toll of mental illness when I had the honour of serving this province as Attorney General.

The dockets of our courts - British Columbia and right across Canada - bear sad witness to the number of people who have broken the law as a result of untreated mental illnesses from which they have sought relief through illicit drugs.

But make no mistake about it. It is one thing to identify the social symptoms and resulting costs of mental disease.

It is quite another to develop cures and solutions.

Everyone in this room knows full well that mental health and mental illness are complex topics with no simple solutions.

This very complexity is a disincentive to action, and an easy excuse for leaving many facets of this pressing issue overlooked or misunderstood.

But we have to act.

The statistics tell why:

• 80% of us report that someone we live with, work with or are related to is coping with a mental disorder. The costs of that prevalence are personal, social and economic in nature.
• A recent CAMIMH report highlights that mental illness has a significant impact. Not just on the 1 in 5 Canadians who suffer from it at some time in their life, but on all Canadians.
• Only 1 in 4 sufferers seeks help. That, in turn, is one factor that impacts the suicide rate, which takes more Canadian lives than car accidents and homicides combined.
• Mental illness ranks 2^nd only to cardiovascular disease in direct health care costs. And represents more than 7 billion dollars a year from our health care budget.
• Further, the economic burden of mental health issues to businesses and employers with respect to lost productivity is estimated somewhere between 15 and 33 billion dollars per year.

I'm pleased to see that Brenda Locke, Minister of State for Mental Health and Addiction Services in British Columbia, is here with us today, because this province, as an example, has made important strides since integrating mental health and addiction services in 2002.

Today in B.C., individuals with mental heath issues and often with burdens of substance abuse can be treated in health facilities and included in the regular health system.

The provincial government has also provided significant funding for new mental health facilities within each health authority.

And recently the province launched a fantastic new "Here to Help" website - which will enhance the province's ability to provide the public with effective mental health education and assistance.

These kinds of best practices are evident across the country as well.

Other provinces are leading the way.

I have heard recently that the province of Quebec, for example, is looking to develop a comprehensive action plan on mental health and mental illness.

Alberta has recently announced plans to move ahead with a mental health strategy.

Ontario has recently made a significant announcement to create new children's mental health programs.

And I have heard that Quebec is undertaking the development of a 2005-2008 mental health action plan.

I am encouraged by these and other efforts. I applaud my provincial counterparts for their leadership.

And I say to you today that I want to work with you.

And I want to better integrate the work all governments are conducting.

Although delivery of mental health services is a provincial responsibility, there is a lot that the federal government can do in concert with the provinces and territories.

And we have acted.

Some examples include the following:

• Currently, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research fund more than 28 million dollars worth of research projects related to mental health.
• Through the Voluntary Sector Initiative, the federal Public Health Agency of Canada also funded the "Citizens for Mental Health" project led by the CMHA.
• Last April, Health Canada co-sponsored a research workshop that led to the development of a long-term research agenda on mental health and the workplace.
• We worked to develop the comprehensive Report on Mental Illness in Canada, released in October 2002. The Second Report on Mental Health and Mental Illness in Canada will be published in 2005 in collaboration with CAMIMH.
• On the workplace front, as part of the Employee Assistance Program, the federal government makes available to the public service and a larger family of federal organizations a Specialized Traumatic Stress service to employees witnessing or being victims of trauma in the workplace.
• We also offer workshops and seminars on how to better manage the day-to-day stress of work, family and life pressures.
• And under my own purview, the Public Health Agency of Canada, in collaboration with partners, is in the process of a national mental health surveillance system.

Mental health will continue to be addressed as we proceed with work to develop an overall strategy on healthy living and chronic disease

I should also highlight the excellent work at the federal level being carried out by the Senate Standing Committee chaired by Senator Michael Kirby.

The recent interim reports released by Committee emphasize that mental health, illness and addiction are areas where a lot of work needs to be done.

Some issues raised in the reports have already been recognized by both the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.

Particularly the fragmentation and lack of coordination of mental health policies and the impact of stigma and discrimination.

As we work to integrate mental health into this strategy, we are taking into account that mental health and mental illness are really two separate ideas that need to be addressed jointly.

As the European Union has said: "there is no health without mental health."

Ladies and gentlemen, I fear I have used up far too much of your valuable time explaining what I know and what the federal government is doing.

Fine words and noble sentiments are never a substitute for action.

It is all too clear to me that I don't know enough and that the federal government is not doing enough.

I don't have all the answers. Quite frankly, I am not sure I even know all the right questions.

That is why I will have to rely on you and partners right across the country for advice and guidance.

While much work needs to be done, moving ahead I'd like to take a close look at 3 particular areas:

1. the need for increased research in the area of mental health;
2. coordinating best practices in the field; and
3. how best to increase education and awareness of mental health issues.

Further, as the country's largest employer, I want to assess what the federal government is doing to address mental health issues in the workplace.

Simply put, we need to lead the way.

In this context, I want you to know that I have requested that an interdepartmental task force be established.

The goal is to better integrate services and approaches between the various departments with a stake in the mental health file.

This group will include justice, corrections, human resources and others.

This would be done in collaboration with the provinces and NGOs.

Related to this, I will soon send letters to my ministerial colleagues asking them to identify a senior official to help coordinate mental health related efforts.

This type of outreach and assessment will ideally feed into a comprehensive approach to better deal with mental illness in Canada.

And, of course, we look forward to provincial feedback on what we are doing.

We are also going to consult with NGOs on how we can better focus our efforts, within our mandate.

This type of outreach can - and should - feed into a comprehensive, pan-Canadian approach to better deal with mental illness in Canada.

To assist me with the assessment of what the federal government can do with respect to mental health and the workplace, I have asked The Honourable Michael Wilson, former federal Minister of Finance, to serve as a special ministerial advisor.

Michael, as you know, has become an outspoken advocate for mental health issues since losing his son to suicide.

His leadership and commitment in this area has been remarkable.

He has helped to shine a light on issues that historically haven't received enough attention.

And his guidance will be crucial with respect to deciphering next steps and options I can then take to my cabinet colleagues.

I want to thank him for accepting my offer. I'm looking forward to working with him.

I am also pleased to announce that the CMHA's BC division has been successful in its application for approximately $300,000 in funding from the Public Health Agency's Population Health Fund.

I share your hope that the multi-site pilot project "Strengthening Family and Youth Voices" will effectively increase peer support networks, enhance knowledge and resources, and serve as a model for other communities across the country. Congratulations.

In closing, maybe it's useful to remind people that Charles Dickens and US president Abraham Lincoln both wrestled with severe depression.

That the brilliance of scientist Isaac Newton shone through his struggles with bipolar disorder.

And that Winston Churchill battled the “black dog” of a mental illness while providing inspirational leadership throughout the second world war.

Even more powerful is the impact of individual Canadians in prominent positions who have had the courage to come forward and speak of their own challenges, or those of people close to them.

Michael Wilson, for example, the former federal minister of finance, has become an outspoken advocate for mental health issues since losing his son to suicide.

Rafe Mair has, for many years, talked about his battle with depression, lending his inimitable voice to the cause of de-stigmatizing mental illness.

And Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire has become an inspiration to all Canadians in his openness about the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on his life and those of many who witness war.

These impressive, accomplished leaders are helping to teach us all that the face of mental illness is many faceted.

That anyone can be affected.

That mental disorders can be treated and managed, and that those affected can and do live productive and contributing lives.

Above all, their candor and openness is a lesson to all of us that mental illness can strike anyone.

The truth is we all have mental health needs, and are, at some times of our life, more vulnerable than at others.

Sometimes what makes the difference is simply knowing that we have the support necessary to cope with especially challenging circumstances.

I'd like to thank the Canadian Mental Health Association for their leadership.

And I want to congratulate all of the participants in the room for their commitment to working together in pursuit of solutions to the challenges facing us all.

Thank you.