How do we help each other? I think it's very important to think about the landscape of mental health in Canada. We know that mental health has not been funded to the same extent that physical health has been, that there isn't parity. The Mental Health Commission of Canada recommends that 9% of the health budget go towards mental health, and currently it's only about 7%. While there have been big increases from the federal government in the last few years, we're feeling the pinch from that. More and more Canadians are identifying that anxiety and depression are at almost pandemic levels among Canadians, so adding the additional pressure of the pandemic has increased those needs manifold.
We are sounding the alarm that more needs to be done. There needs to be more of an investment at all levels of mental health to ensure that the gaps that already exist can be closed and new needs can be met.
I urge the government to think about keeping in touch. Please speak with your key partners, like CMHA, to help us help you, as we go through this pandemic together, to look for the kinds of reactions that we will have to make investments for. There are choices we're going to have to make over the next year or the next two years, potentially.