Bill C-269

An Act to amend the Telecommunications Act (suicide prevention)

Sponsor

Todd Doherty  Conservative

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of April 25, 2022

Subscribe to a feed (what's a feed?) of speeches and votes in the House related to Bill C-269.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment amends the Telecommunications Act to require the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to designate a three-digit phone number dedicated to suicide-prevention services.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Telecommunications ActRoutine Proceedings

April 25th, 2022 / 3:15 p.m.
See context

Conservative

Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-269, An Act to amend the Telecommunications Act (suicide prevention).

Mr. Speaker, suicide impacts us all. There is probably not a member in this House who has not been touched by suicide. I know that suicide and mental health have negatively impacted my life. Just three weeks ago, I received a call saying that I had lost yet another friend to suicide. When somebody is struggling, we must do everything in our power to remove the barriers so that they can seek and get the help that they need.

Over 500 days ago, I asked for the support of the House to bring 988, a simple three-digit suicide prevention hotline, to Canada. Five hundred days later, it still has not been done. Today I rise in this esteemed chamber to table my bill, an act to amend the Telecommunications Act, suicide prevention. With the addition of one simple line to the Telecommunications Act, Canada could have an easy-to-remember three-digit suicide prevention hotline.

Let us bring 988 to Canada. We can save lives.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)