Absolutely.
In Ontario, we know that prepandemic there were 28,000 children on a wait list for mental health services delivered in the community or acute care centres. We anticipate that number has grown over the course of the pandemic. Across Canada, that number is closer to 100,000 children on a wait list.
We know the impact that early intervention can make on children's mental health. It pays lifelong dividends in terms of their overall health and well-being. Proportionately, 25% reflects roughly the number of children and youth under the age of 18 in Canada. What we don't want to see is children left behind in any sort of funding envelope to address mental health, children being an afterthought. We really want to make sure they are prioritized in the rollout of any programs and services to improve their access to care.
Whether that is increasing the number of providers who are trained in the pipeline to provide services in the community, or whether that includes space in our acute care facilities to care for the most complex acute mental illnesses amongst our children and youth, those are all opportunities that immediately require investment that those dollars would support.