Thank you very much.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is delighted to be here today. Thank you for inviting us.
It's really encouraging to see government making veterans' mental health a key priority. As we all know, suicide is a devastating reality. This is not just the case for military and veterans' communities, as you've heard today, but is in many communities across Canada, each with its own unique challenges.
We will focus our remarks today specifically on the scope of the committee's study, which is to improve support for veterans' mental health and suicide prevention.
As committee members, you're no doubt aware that the population of Canadian veterans is estimated to be just over 700,000 people. Based on the limited data available, somewhere between one in five and one in ten diagnosed with mental health problems will experience suicidal thoughts within a year. As you've heard from Dr. Merali, there isn't a robust way of determining that.
It is also thought that the prevalence of mental illness amongst modern-day veterans is higher than amongst earlier era veterans, but again it is difficult to really determine if that is the case due to the whole issue of stigma, but it's certainly higher than amongst the general population.
The mental and emotional toll exacted on veterans isn't unexpected, given the intensity of the tasks that they are called upon to do. In Canada and worldwide, population studies paint a picture of a complex set of needs and determinants of health specific to veterans. These include everything from the predispositions of those who choose to serve, to the unique stressors of military service, and the complex transition from military to civilian life. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges that veterans face, but we know that a whole-of-community approach is a very good place to start.
That said, there are important government initiatives that are contributing to the well-being of our veterans. For example, Ed Mantler and I are fortunate to have been invited to sit on the minister of Veterans Affairs mental health advisory group, and, while supports offered to veterans in Canada are available, they really fall short of what is needed. We are increasingly hearing urgent calls for improvements, and we certainly hear this from the veterans themselves in the committee that we sit on.
This is particularly true in terms of providing adequate transition support. Current supports include a national network of approximately 4,000 registered mental health professionals who deliver services to veterans with operational stress injuries in the communities where they live. We highlight this initiative in particular because it's extremely important to have services close to the community that they live in.
Before I ask Ed Mantler to discuss some of the successful tools that we at the commission have developed to improve veterans' mental health, I want to highlight an ongoing study that may be of interest to the committee. The Australian government is currently carrying out a targeted review of suicide and self-harm prevention services available to its military members and veterans. Written by its National Mental Health Commission, this report is set to be released next month some time, and I think this report will certainly provide useful insights to the committee's study here.
Now in terms of partnerships that we at the commission have pursued with government, we recently launched a mental health first aid veteran community course for veterans, their families, and caregivers. I will ask Dr. Mantler to outline that for you.