Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the beginning of Mental Illness Awareness Week, a national campaign coordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.
As founder of the Liberal mental health caucus, this is a very important issue to me, but even more important to the one in five Canadians who will experience a mental illness this year.
Visiting the Hill today are five individuals brave enough to share their own experiences with illness and recovery.
Over the summer, I had the honour of recognizing another face of mental health. In my riding of Richmond Hill, Constables Ivanov and Latour from York Regional Police were the recipients of the special Canada 150 pin for going above and beyond the call of duty in saving the life of a young woman suffering from mental illness. At YRP, “Deed...indeed...speaks”.
On this day and every day, let us reflect on what we can do in our offices and everyday lives to achieve a Canada where mental health issues receive timely, respectful care and support in parity with physical health conditions.