Mr. Speaker, this is Mental Illness Awareness Week in Canada, a week to raise awareness about the challenges of mental illness and to celebrate the fact that recovery is possible.
Mental illness directly affects millions of Canadians. Indirectly it touches us all. Though many of us know someone with mental illness, the stigma associated with the words “mental illness” is strong and deep.
Perhaps some people are wary of those with mental illness because it is an illness that they do not understand. Breaking the stigma and ignorance is one of the purposes of Mental Illness Awareness Week for as we break the fear we diminish the stigma.
This is also a week to support friends and family who deal with the burden of mental illness every day. We must understand that, just as with cancer and diabetes, recovery is possible.
This is also a week to remember those who did not win their struggle with mental illness. We remember them for who they were and not for the illness that consumed them. In their memory, we must challenge the stigma and open our hearts to our fellow Canadians impacted by mental illness.