Mr. Chair, I thank the member for her question.
This is an extremely important question because mental health is of course very important. The overall health of the population—even before the pandemic—is something we have to address in a more concerted manner, but the pandemic has had a really significant impact on mental health across numerous populations, not just because people are worried about the virus. It's compounded by the impact of the disruptions to our lives, our work routines, financial stress, social isolation, grief and bereavement because of the loss of loved ones, and reduced access to available services and supports.
These impacts have been particularly acute for certain groups, including frontline health workers, who've experienced worsening mental health conditions during the pandemic, racialized Canadians and others who have been impacted by the social determinants of health and inequitable access to services. I think this is a big issue, as is the concurrent, parallel and worsening opioid and other substance use overdose crisis.
The response to this has to be multi-faceted. By the way, we have had some innovation and new approaches that I believe will benefit mental health during the pandemic and in times to come, for example, the Wellness Together platform and PocketWell have allowed numerous Canadians, including youth, to have access to more real-time services through so-called “stepped care”, as part of a range of measures. I believe budget 2021 provided funding, $10 million over three years, for the Public Health Agency to support projects that would promote mental health, especially those most impacted by the pandemic.
As I said, because health workers and frontline essential service providers have been severely impacted by PTSD—that's post-traumatic stress disorder—and trauma, there was $50 million provided over two years, starting in 2021. These projects are beginning in the spring, I hope. It is spring now, so we want to be able to look at how this diverse programming can support our frontline workers who have been burnt out and impacted.
Of course, there has been a significant investment in Kids Help Phone. The capacity of distress centres has been augmented, and additional funding has been provided to the Canada suicide prevention service.