Hon. Elizabeth Hubley:

Honourable senators, five years ago the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology brought to our attention the devastating impact of mental illness on Canadian society. The committee's comprehensive report entitled Out of the Shadows At Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada, is the first national report on mental health in Canadian history. At almost 600 pages in length and containing 118 recommendations for improving Canada's mental health system, for combatting stigma and discrimination and for dealing with illness and addiction, it is a call to action and a roadmap for a mental health revolution.

Five years later, how far have we come?

In initiating this inquiry, it is my hope that we can continue to improve our mental health system both by taking stock of the progress that has been made since 2006 and by reviewing and renewing our commitment to move forward. Unfortunately, the sheer size of this report makes it impossible for me to discuss everything I would like to discuss here today. I will therefore limit my focus to one great success story — the Mental Health Commission of Canada — and one area in need of immediate improvement: mental health initiatives for Aboriginal peoples.

Creating a national mental health commission and, through it, a mental health strategy for Canada, was one of the key recommendations to come out of the 2006 Senate committee report under the direction of former Senator and former Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, Michael Kirby. The Mental Health Commission of Canada was established in 2007 with a mission to actively promote mental health in Canada, work with stakeholders to change the attitudes of Canadians toward mental health problems, and improve services and support. Today, the Mental Health Commission of Canada is a robust organization at the forefront of change.

The commission has seven initiatives on the go: Opening Minds, Mental Health First Aid, a mental health strategy for Canada, a knowledge exchange centre, the At Home project, the Peer Project and Partners for Mental Health. These projects target eradicating stigma, improving access to mental health care, connecting and engaging interested individuals and groups, and laying the groundwork for future national initiatives.

Of particular interest and importance is the commission's At Home project. This research demonstration project aims to investigate the relationship between mental health and homelessness in five Canadian cities. As of last month, the project could count over 2,200 participants, half of whom now have housing. This project is the largest scientific study on mental illness and homelessness of its kind and has the potential to transform the way we treat addiction and illness. This sort of research study is exactly the type of evidence-centred approach that the Senate committee's report recommended. It is encouraging to see the Mental Health Commission of Canada take action to respond to the committee's report in such an innovative way. I am excited to follow this study into the future and look forward to reviewing its findings.

Honourable senators, I think progress is being made and that the Mental Health Commission of Canada has clearly taken some important first steps toward improving our mental health system. That said, it has not yet published its national strategy. I can only hope that when it does so next year, it puts a greater emphasis on supporting further neurological research and medical treatment for mental illness than we have seen to date. Canadian scientists are currently pursuing cutting-edge neuroscience research to better understand and prevent suicide; and I hope their work will be properly supported and encouraged. The more we can learn about the medical and biological underpinnings of mental illness, the more effectively we can treat needy patients. As André Picard so aptly put it in The Globe and Mail, we must be careful lest we give "too much credence to social science and not enough to neuroscience."

While it is clear that the Mental Health Commission of Canada has much to be proud of, when it comes to Aboriginal Canadians, the Government of Canada does not. It should come as no surprise that Canada's Aboriginal peoples are facing a mental health crisis. One need only to look at sky-rocketing suicide, addiction and incarceration rates as proof of this emergency situation. Yet, progress has been slow. The committee's report indicates that despite years of extensive consultation, discussion and planning, Canada's record of treatment of its Aboriginal citizens is a national disgrace. To meet this challenge, the committee accorded an entire chapter of its report to the mental health concerns of Aboriginal people and made 14 recommendations specifically targeting First Nations, Inuit and Metis populations. Nevertheless, it is clear five years later that these recommendations have yet to be acted upon.

One of the main reasons for this persistent inertia is what the report refers to as "jurisdictional ambivalence." In other words, we have a system in which the federal and provincial governments routinely engage in denial and off-loading of responsibility when it comes to delivering services to Aboriginal people. All too often, individuals fall through the cracks when governments and departments clash. To counter this situation, the committee recommended that the federal government adopt a leadership role. This would entail taking overall responsibility for the mental health of all Aboriginal peoples by better coordinating its own initiatives among federal departments and improving intergovernmental relations with the provinces and territories.

Specifically, the committee recommended that the federal government create an interdepartmental committee chaired by the Privy Council Office and that this committee be responsible for reporting to Parliament on the success of federal programs and the wellness of Aboriginal peoples. Further to this, the Senate committee found that there was a need for better data collection and access. It thus recommended that an inventory of all federal programs targeting First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples be compiled, analyzed for cost-effectiveness and reported back to Parliament. Finally, the committee recommended the creation of an ombudsman position. This person would be authorized to investigate individual complaints and systemic concerns.

They would also report their findings annually to the Parliament, in a similar fashion, to the Correctional Investigator or the Canadian Forces Ombudsman. These measures, the committee argued, would address the ongoing issues of jurisdictional ambivalence and would better ensure that programs were effective, that money was being well spent, and that demonstrable progress was actually being achieved.

The committee hoped that, through this improved interdepartmental coordination and annual parliamentary oversight, help would finally get to the people who need it most.

In addition to this improved framework for greater accountability and oversight, the Senate committee also recommended that the government immediately put a plan in place to target high Aboriginal suicide and addiction rates. The report suggested that perhaps the Mental Health Commission of Canada could take on some of this responsibility. With its resources, dynamism and national focus, the Mental Health Commission has a unique power to transform the mental health of Aboriginal communities. I believe that it could be an effective conduit through which information, funding and creative ideas could be funnelled. That said, the responsibility ultimately lies with the federal government and I call on it to finally take decisive action to this.

Honourable senators, I find it incredibly worrisome that none of the reports' key recommendations targeting Aboriginal peoples have been implemented. When it comes to mental health, I believe that the stakes are just too high to allow historical patterns of indifference to continue. I am afraid that we are doomed to repeat our past mistakes and will continue to fail First Nations, Inuit and Metis Canadians if we do not act now. The federal government must step forward as the leader in Aboriginal mental health care. The recommendations contained in the Senate committee's report are logical next steps in the processes of evaluating current programs and creating new ones. They should be implemented immediately.

Over the past five years, Canadians' overall response to mental health has changed for the better. Clearly, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology's report has made a difference. Still, there is plenty of room for improvement, plenty of recommendations yet to be acted upon, and plenty of Canadians still in need of assistance. We may have brought mental illness out of the shadows, but we still have a way to go toward assuring mental health and well-being for all.

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