Mr. Speaker, in any given year, one in five Canadians will experience mental illness, and by the age of 40, 50% will have experienced it as well. Mental Illness does not discriminate against age, education, income level or culture.
Although mental disorders are all around us, in our family members, friends, colleagues, or even ourselves, the stigma still remains. Just because we cannot see it does not mean it is not there.
Today is Bell's Let's Talk day, where it supports mental health organizations across the country to raise awareness. It carries out conversations of mental illness with our communities to help bring an end to the stigma.
As parliamentarians, we have a duty to keep this conversation going long past today so people know it is okay to talk about mental health.
As deputy health shadow minister for the official opposition, I am proud the join the conversation.