Madam Speaker, it is an honour to table this petition, and of course, it is timely as the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health board is here in Ottawa advocating.
Petitioners cite that Canada is experiencing a mental health and substance use crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Too many Canadians are unable to access mental health or substance use supports in a timely manner. The lack of access to community-based mental health and substance use services increases demand on hospital emergency rooms and primary care providers. Untreated or inadequately treated mental illness carries significant social and economic costs.
They are therefore calling on the federal government to legislate parity between physical and mental health in Canada's universal public health care system; to ensure timely access to evidence-based, culturally appropriate and publicly funded mental health and substance use services beyond hospital and physician settings; to establish the Canada mental health transfer to sustainably fund the provision of mental health and substance use services, distributed to provinces and territories for long-term, stable funding; and to support Bill C-280.