Mr. Speaker, October 7 to 13 is Mental Illness Awareness Month. This annual campaign serves to demystify illnesses that can affect anyone of us, unfortunately.
Ever worsening statistics show that suicide is the primary cause of death among young people aged 15 to 24 and that depression will be the main cause of potential illness by 2020.
Worse yet, there is little if any funding. Children are the primary victims of government inaction and pay the cost. Only one child in five receives the mental health care necessary.
It is high time the federal government listened to Quebec's requests to transfer to it the money necessary to establish a real plan of action for mental illness.