Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Phil Upshall. I'm the National Executive Director of the Mood Disorder Society of Canada.
I just want to clarify for the record that I do not represent the Asia-Pacific economic collaboration. I represent a partnership between the Mood Disorder Society of Canada, the University of Alberta, and the University of British Columbia, wherein we will be establishing a digital hub for mental health issues to serve the APEC nations. It will be a hub that is developed in a hub-and-spoke structure. We have over 12 MOUs now with all of the APEC countries with significant academic organizations.
The Mood Disorder Society of Canada just recently launched our transitions to communities project, which is a project with Veterans Affairs and ESDC to help disadvantaged veterans get back into the labour force. It's the kind of project that we take pride in leading and it's the type of a project that Minister Hehr was very supportive of. He recently attended our launch.
With regard to our APEC digital hub, Mr. Chair, we know the facts all too well. One in five Canadians suffers from a mental health problem or illness in their lifetime, but many more are affected indirectly with a family member. The economic cost is well over $50 billion a year. We know that research in health care, social services, and income support costs comprise the biggest proportion of this expenditure. Billions in productivity are lost each year. Over the next three decades, we're looking at losses of up to $2.5 trillion.
The World Bank, along with the World Health Organization, held an international meeting in Washington this year, recognizing mental health issues as a global epidemic and requiring global approaches. We were there and supported that initiative. We do urgently need to bring innovative solutions to this ever-escalating issue. Last November, thanks to the leadership of our partnership, the APEC forum chose Canada to do just that. In collaboration with MDSC, U of A and UBC, we will be hosting the APEC digital hub for mental health innovation. It's a new international epicentre for the promotion and development of advanced research from some of the world's leading universities and health institutes involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and public awareness of mental disorders. It will be a game-changer in addressing mental illnesses and in contributing to Canada’s economic growth. Our current partnerships include Peking University; the Government of China; Malaysia; Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo; Mexico; Lima, Peru, just to name a few.
At the centrepiece of APEC's intergovernmental mental health initiatives, the hub will be an incubator of new ideas and practices. It is a practical resource for Canada and the APEC economies that will not only target the intergovernmental aspects at a high-level policy stage, but also at the regional level, when it comes to program and service delivery on mental health issues. The hub will also play a vital role, at the patient level, helping clinicians use international best practices to treat those suffering from mental illnesses, making the hub an applied implementation science backbone currently lacking in mental health.
In practical terms, this mean the hub provides needed leadership to Canadians and 2.8 billion people in the 21 APEC economies to address the urgent global health care crisis in innovative and unique ways. This is done, as I mentioned, through international partnerships, clusters, and scientific research and development. This government said it best in its innovation agenda, “Canada needs to focus on developing world-leading clusters in areas where it has the potential to be, or is already known as, a hotbed of innovation.” Canada is known as that. It says, “The goal is to make significant targeted investments in these clusters so that Canada can attract the best ideas, brightest talent and smart capital necessary for success.”
We agree wholeheartedly with that. As we embark on this milestone year for our country, we believe the Government of Canada is well positioned to lead in science, digital innovation, and the fight for mental wellness by investing $5 million over five years into the hub's development. An initial financial contribution from our government of $1 million per year would signal to the world that Canada is indeed leading the way, making digital and science innovation in mental health a top priority and tackling the $50-billion problem that we have. Canada’s work will feature prominently this November at the APEC high-level meetings in Peru, where leaders will meet to discuss their core areas of interest, including mental health as a global priority.
In Canada’s 150th year, we can proudly demonstrate our leadership in economic growth through our investments in digital innovation. We can be a catalyst for scientific discoveries that will be shared and reciprocated among APEC countries. In a world of inescapable digital connection, intergovernmental collaborations and public-private partnerships are key to overcoming obstacles to mental wellness. To date, more than 100 government agencies, industries, and academic organizations are committed to our efforts. These efforts include creating an interactive platform to build awareness, developing customized curriculums, sharing information and experiences, and identifying and implementing best practices in research and treatment.
This is knowledge amplified and shared between continents, nations, regions, communities, and individuals. Communities across our country are meeting the needs of Canadians first. Like Canada, the APEC economies have urban, rural, remote, and indigenous communities. We've counted 54 indigenous communities to date within the APEC communities, and all with different levels of access to technology and different mental health resources.