NDP MP Gord Johns tables motion to establish national target for mental health spending

OTTAWA – Today NDP Leader Avi Lewis and representatives from the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (“CAMIMH”) joined MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) to call on the government to address the chronic underfunding of mental health, addictions, and substance use services.

“When Tommy Douglas first envisioned public health care in Canada, he imagined a system that would care for people from head to toe. But in a country awash in wealth, that vision is still incomplete. Mental health is part of your health. It should be part of our publicly funded healthcare system,” said NDP Leader Avi Lewis.

“Too many Canadians can’t access appropriate, timely mental health care, and it’s costing our country enormously. In quality of life, in lost productivity, and most tragically, in lives lost. Yet across the country, spending on mental health doesn’t reflect these costs to society,” added MP Johns.

In 2012, the Mental Health Commission of Canada published Canada’s first and only mental health strategy which estimated mental illness costs the Canadian economy at least $50 billion annually. The strategy called for Canada to increase the amount spent on mental health to 9 per cent of total health care spending. While mental health needs and costs have soared, only 6.3 per cent of health care spending in Canada is directed to mental health. Mental health advocates have called for an updated target of 12 per cent to address declining mental health across the country.

In advance of Mental Health Week, MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) introduced a motion urging the federal government to adopt a national target for mental health services of 12% of total health care spending, and to work with provinces and territories to achieve that goal.

“Mental illness is a leading cause of disability in Canada, and it’s now estimated to cost our economy $200 billion every year. The theme of this year’s Mental Health Week is “Come Together, Canada”, and it’s clear we need to do just that to address the growing mental health funding gap and build a more resilient, prosperous country,” said MP Johns.

“It is imperative that all parties come together to achieve mental health parity, which will help address the systemic issues that contribute to the deepening mental health and opioid crises in Canada.” said CAMIMH Co-Chair Anthony Esposti.

Click to read MP Johns’ Private Member’s Motion, M-31 Spending for Mental Health Services.