Thank you so much, and thank you for your work, Madame Brière, in this area. You've been such a leader in the space of mental health and working towards that very outcome.
In the first instance, there are the working together agreements that have, at their core, an integration of action on mental health and better integration into the overall health system to make sure that folks get the help and support they need. That means making sure the agreements are culturally appropriate and that we're attacking systemic racism, that people are entering environments that are sensitive to who they are, and that people are comfortable and safe in navigating the incredible challenges they face with mental health issues. Many of these are very intransigent and, of course, have trauma at their core.
There's a direct proportionality between the trauma and incredible pain people have experienced and the outcome of poor mental health. It is not surprising, then, that our most vulnerable and marginalized people, who've been subject to racism and the effects of colonialism, are the ones who disproportionately suffer. We have to take a whole-of-government approach, not just inside of our health system, which I know you advocate for. It's also about making sure we have housing. It's about making sure we have food security for folks and that people have access to the full range of 360° supports they need when they're in that kind of state.
It's so important to do that, because when you don't deal appropriately with somebody who is in a state of mental health crisis, that situation will deteriorate and manifest itself in all kinds of other terrible health outcomes. Of course a person can't be productive if they don't have strong mental health.