Yes, mental health is an extremely important aspect of the pandemic response as well as an ongoing issue.
I have been a great advocate to consider physical and mental health together, so the Wellness Together platform is extremely important, and there is a new application called PocketWell that links to this platform to provide instant access to resources that Canadians need, be it a counsellor or other support.
I actually think the pandemic has given us an opportunity to learn from these innovative measures. They could help us on an ongoing basis, so from my perspective it is important to see these gains and innovations being sustained going forward. Of course, they may need evaluation, but we must not take a step back.
I know that Health Canada is the lead on the mental health file, so there may be other responses to supplement mine.