Mr. Speaker, April 7 is World Health Day. The theme of this year's public awareness campaign is mental health. The campaign aims to draw the attention of Canadians to the challenges that mental illness and brain disorders pose to individuals and families affected by them.
Mental illness accounts for enormous suffering, disability and increased mortality. An estimated 400 million people around the world suffer from mental and neurological disorders. It is often associated with violations of human rights, stigma, unemployment, social exclusion, poverty, shame and secrecy.
The solutions to mental illness can be found in communities through mental health services, scientific research and the health policies of government.
As we mark World Health Day, I call upon my colleagues to join in this World Health Organization campaign to make good mental health a priority.