Bill C-280

Mental Health Parity Act

An Act to enact the Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Services Act and to make consequential amendments to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act

Sponsor

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 June 3, 2026

Subscribe to a feed (what's a feed?) of speeches and votes in the House related to Bill C-280.

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment enacts the Mental Health Parity Act , which sets out criteria and conditions in respect of mental health, addictions and substance use services that must be satisfied before a cash contribution may be made by the Government of Canada to a province in support of those services.
It also makes consequential amendments to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act .

Elsewhere

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

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-280s:

C-280 (2022) Law Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act

C-280 (2021) Haida Gwaii Residents Tax Deduction Act

C-280 (2016) An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (golfing expenses)

C-280 (2011) National Strategy for Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) Act

1^st reading

Mental Health Parity ActRoutine Proceedings

June 3rd, 2026 / 3:45 p.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-280, An Act to enact the Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Services Act and to make consequential amendments to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to table this bill, which aims to create parity between physical and mental health in our public health care system. The mental health parity act proposes a framework for the federal government to partner with provinces and territories to provide public coverage for community-based mental health, addictions and substance use services. The goal of this bill is to make mental health services accessible to all Canadians through our public health care system. This bill would incorporate the principles of the Canada Health Act: public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability and accessibility. It would also incorporate provisions to promote public accountability and to reduce regional disparities in coverage.

I want to thank the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, the Canadian Mental Health Association and all those who spent years advocating for mental health parity. I also want to thank my colleague, who has been a champion for mental health, the member of Parliament for Edmonton Strathcona, for seconding this bill. I hope all members will support this bill as a step towards building a stronger, healthier Canada.

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