I don't think that justifies what we've done. In 2007, we put $55 million over five years towards the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and we implemented the Kirby-Keon report. In 2008, we raised that funding to $130 million because we wanted to combat the stigma attached to mental health. In 2008, we allocated another $110 million to the Mental Health Commission to find ways to help fight the very issue you talked about here, homelessness. We also included a knowledge exchange centre to foster information sharing and research collaboration. The very issue you brought to the table today, we started in 2008.
In 2012, the commission came back and delivered a blueprint for a national mental health strategy. We funded five years of research, which included thousands of people coming to testify, scientific modality, and 100 recommendations on what would go across the country. They are not just for federal governments; they are for provincial governments. They are for professionals in the health care profession. You alluded to the fact that we've started down the road of assisting those in the criminal field, whether they be judges or lawyers. We've implemented it with health care professionals and businesses. Volunteers across this country are entering into programs. Since 2008, we've implemented 45 active projects across our country, working toward reducing the issue of mental health in this country.
I appreciate what you are saying, but when you come to the table, you at least have to acknowledge that this government, for more than any other issue with respect to health care, has identified mental health as a serious issue, a number one issue, a compelling issue. We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars across this country to say, “We're going to fix it. We're going to try our best to try to solve it.” You are picking up one small aspect of it and saying you want more to be done. We're moving in that direction as we speak.
I'm giving you the opportunity to acknowledge that this government has done more.... I'm not speaking in a partisan way—the Kirby-Keon report is not written by Conservatives. It was written by one Liberal and one Conservative senator. The fact that we have moved in this direction has to make you think that from a mental health perspective we have definitely done more than just taken a first step. We've actually moved this issue onto the national agenda. We have said that in every community in this country we are going to face and deal with the issue of mental health.