Mr. Chair and members of the Standing Committee on Health, thank you for inviting me to appear today.
This is a momentous day for me as the sponsor of Bill C-277, and it is truly a highlight of the journey I began six years ago in 2018, when I first discussed the idea of a national strategy on brain injuries with my constituent Janelle Breese Biagioni, the excellent witness you met last Thursday.
I also want to acknowledge and thank Tim Fleiszer of the Concussion Legacy Foundation of Canada, Elisabeth Pilon from Concussion Café Yukon and Professor Miriam Beauchamp of the University of Montreal, who appeared as witnesses and provided incredible testimony in support of the bill.
The first version of this bill appeared as Bill C-323, which I introduced in the final days of the 43rd Parliament. That bill immediately received the attention of Michelle McDonald and Brain Injury Canada. She is sitting with me here today and deserves a lot of credit for how far we've come.
After the 2021 federal election, we partnered together to craft the bill you see before you today, Bill C-277. Although I'm here as the sponsor of Bill C-277, I can in no way take sole credit for its success. The campaign supporting this bill has been the result of the efforts of people across Canada—those living with a brain injury, their friends, families and support networks, researchers and brain injury support organizations. They are the ones who have shared their personal stories, written to MPs across the country and pushed for action to deal with what is truly a national problem.
Municipalities that are on the front lines of the mental health crisis gripping our country have also been proactive. We received early support from Vancouver Island communities, and this has continued to grow. Recently, the Union of BC Municipalities endorsed a resolution in full support of Bill C-277. This passionate and committed advocacy resulted in the unanimous support of 324 votes in the House of Commons at second reading on June 12 earlier this year. I want to again thank members from all parties for this overwhelming support. The brain injury community has been watching, and they are feeling hope.
Why do we need a legislated national strategy? Colleagues, you've all seen the statistics. You can appreciate what a devastating impact brain injuries have had on Canadian society. While an immediate concern might be directed towards the lack of proper health care resources, we know that brain injuries affect our communities in much wider ways. We know that there is a high degree of brain injury among the homeless population. We know that people with brain injuries have become victims of toxic street drugs and that overdoses from these same drugs have caused brain injuries, resulting in a vicious cycle. We know that many people involved in the revolving door of our criminal justice system have brain injuries.
There are many cognitive, emotional and behavioural symptoms from brain injuries: anger management, processing information, high-risk behaviours, inappropriate emotional responses, lack of impulse control, memory impairment and poor judgment. You can all imagine how even a few of these symptoms can lead to negative interactions and problems in society if the cause is not understood. There is a poor understanding of brain injury and its consequences for both health and social care systems.
This is a problem that is bigger than any one province or territory can handle on its own. People are suffering. There is a desperate need for services right across the country. The enormous societal and economic costs of the status quo demand that we rise up to the challenge of the moment and meet it with a strong national framework and strategy that will help guide, not dictate, collaborative federal and provincial policies to support and improve brain injury awareness, prevention and treatment as well as the rehabilitation and recovery of persons living with a brain injury.
By legislating this requirement for a national strategy, we can truly start treating this major societal problem with the urgency and resources it needs. With proper treatment and support, many people with brain injuries can return to productive and engaging lives. Bill C-277 will provide a legislative framework to help with this goal.
Thank you very much.