A very exciting event occurred a month or so ago in Toronto when representatives from advocacy groups from across the country got together with the intention of forming and launching a national advocacy group for eating disorders. It may well be that you will invite some of those principals to come and testify before the committee a bit later on as well.
That, in my 30 years, is the first time that's happened in Canada. Local groups tend to bloom and then wither and die, depending on the energy and efforts of the people involved. Creating a national advocacy body is very important, because then you have lots of self-support among the people who are doing the work. There is endless opportunity for that to occur and for that to be supported even at a federal level perhaps.
These are mostly parents of very ill or deceased people. They're passionate about this and they deserve everybody's support. That's really important, because at the end of the day, a family member who's willing to get up and say, “This is my story. My daughter died from this” or “My daughter has been sick for 30 years from this”, is much more powerful than anything I can possibly say, although I'll still get up and keep saying it. However, it's much more powerful for people who are directly affected to speak. Those people need to be supported. I hope this initiative is successful and I will support it as much as I possibly can.
It varies from province to province. You in Newfoundland are very active and I've met some of the principals from Newfoundland. There's a very active foundation in British Columbia, the Looking Glass Foundation, which has raised several million dollars and actually started a treatment centre on one of the Gulf Islands. In Ontario we have the outreach program that does public awareness and teaching in the schools.
I'm not as familiar with what's available in the other provinces, but I think when you do some digging, what you'll find is that there isn't all that much, to be honest, and there's lots and lots of room for that activity to be encouraged and expanded.