Mr. Speaker, today is Bell Let's Talk Day.
At least one in five Canadians will suffer from mental illness in their lifetimes, but the unfortunate reality is that most will not seek treatment because of the continuing stigma around the disease.
Bell Let's Talk Day sends a message to those who struggle with mental illness that Canadians want to listen and want to help. I would like to join national spokesperson Clara Hughes in inviting all Canadians to talk about mental illness in order to fight the lingering stigma that keeps too many people from seeking the help they need.
By tweeting and social media or through long-distance phone calls, I am encouraging all of us in this House to join the conversation and help end the stigma.
On the previous two Bell Let's Talk Days, Canadians answered the call with more than 144 million text messages and long-distance calls. This added more than $7.2 million to the $50 million already donated by Bell to its charitable programs on mental health.
I want to thank Bell and its leadership under George Cope, and all the Canadians who participate in helping shed the light on this horrible disease.