I'd like very much to thank the committee for this invitation, which will allow me to discuss the issue of mental health and to speak to you about how the Government of Canada is supporting research to address the needs of individuals suffering from mental illness and substance misuse.
As this committee knows well, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, or CIHR as it's often known, is the Government of Canada's agency responsible for providing health research support to ensure excellence in settings that are in universities, hospitals, and research centres across Canada.
To achieve its mandate, CIHR supports research in part through a unique interdisciplinary structure made up of 13 virtual institutes. The mission of CIHR's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, of which I'm currently the scientific director, is to foster excellence in innovation and ethically responsible research aiming to increase our knowledge of the functioning and disorders of the brain and the mind, as well as the spinal cord, the sensory motor systems of the body, and of mental health and mental illness and all forms of addiction that can arise from disorders of the brain.
Between the fiscal years 2006-07 and 2013-14, CIHR invested more than $475 million in mental health research and related behavioural conditions. This included a number of investments in major initiatives that are addressing the needs of populations most at risk of suffering from these conditions. One good example is CIHR's key initiative, which we refer to as the strategy for patient-oriented research, also known as SPOR. The primary objective of this initiative is to foster evidence-informed health care by bringing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the point of care, as well as, of course, generating new knowledge that can improve the health of Canadians.
Through SPOR, CIHR is working with many partners to establish research networks to generate the research evidence and innovations that are needed to improve patient health and the functioning of health care systems. The very first SPOR network supported by CIHR is in the area of youth and adolescent mental health. This network aims to improve the care provided to young Canadians with mental illness issues by translating promising research findings into practice and policy. This initiative represents an investment of $25 million over five years, and importantly, it's a partnership between CIHR and the Graham Boeckh Foundation of Montreal, each of which has contributed $12.5 million.
CIHR is also working with partners to improve suicide prevention activities among aboriginal communities. For example, last March, CIHR in partnership with the Government of Nunavut, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and other federal and international partners hosted a circumpolar mental wellness symposium on suicide prevention in the Arctic. This was held under the auspices of the Arctic Council. This unique gathering brought together researchers, community members, practitioners, policy-makers, and most importantly, youth from across the Arctic regions to identify and share best practices in order to promote mental wellness and to prevent suicide.
ln June 2012, CIHR also launched the pathways to health equity for aboriginal peoples signature initiative. This pathways initiative aims to support the development, implementation, and scale-up of interventions and programs focusing on improving aboriginal people's health and wellness in four key areas, one of which is suicide prevention.
For an example of an initiative in this area, we can point to Dr. Susan Chatwood at the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research in Yellowknife. She is studying existing mental health programs in the Arctic to determine what different regions can learn from one another to address this critically important issue.
CIHR also supports a number of initiatives aimed at addressing issues of substance misuse. Indeed on May 1, 2015, in Edmonton I had the pleasure to announce with the Minister of Health the creation of the Canadian research initiative in substance misuse. This will be a national network aimed at improving the health of Canadians living with issues related to substance misuse.
This initiative, which represents an initial federal investment of $7.2 million over five years, is unique in the sense that it focuses on the transfer and implementation of new evidence-based approaches to reduce the risk of substance misuse and its effects on health, including the development of addiction, overdose, and sadly, death. Researchers supported through this initiative will work closely with service providers and representatives of people living with substance misuse issues to better ensure the health outcomes for the people facing these problems.
ln conclusion, Mr. Chair, let me assure you that CIHR is committed to continue working with public and private partners in support of research in these important areas related to mental health and addiction. The overall aim, of course, is to improve the research and to translate this new knowledge into improved services, especially treatment, for those suffering from mental ill health issues.
Again, I commend you and your colleagues for taking up this study, and I wish to thank you for providing me with the opportunity to speak on this important issue. Of course, I will be pleased to answer any of your questions.
Thank you very much.