By Canadian Press

Liberals pledge to create new mental health transfer for provinces and territories

Aug 31, 2021 | 10:22 AM

OTTAWA — A re-elected Liberal government would give provinces and territories $4.5 billion over five years in funding for mental health, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday.

The funding would be delivered through a new, permanent mental health transfer, he said.

“The past 18 months have been really tough, for parents, for seniors, for essential workers, for all the people who are grieving the loss of family members, for everyone who’s faced discrimination or hate — no matter who you are you deserve the right support and that includes on mental health,” Trudeau said.

“We’ve made real progress, but if you’ve been in crisis and faced a wait list, if you’re a student struggling to pay both rent and a therapist, you know there’s a lot of work still to do.”

The Liberals also promising $500 million over fours years to increase access to mental health on university and college campuses, which he says will support the hiring of 1,200 mental health counsellors.

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Tuesday’s announcement, made in Ottawa, also includes the creation of a national, three-digit suicide prevention and mental health support hotline.  

A Conservative motion to create such a hotline was unanimously supported by the House of Commons last December and that party has also included such a promise in its platform.

The Liberals say they would also review the Disability Tax Credit and Canada Pension Plan disability benefits, establish a fund to support Black Canadians in the public service and include mental health as a specific element of occupational health and safety under the Canada Labour Code.

It’s the Liberals’ second mental health announcement in as many days.

On Monday, they pledged $1.4 billion in added funding over five years to co-develop an Indigenous mental health strategy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2021.

The Canadian Press