House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2025, with 18% of the vote.
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, I sure am proud seeing everybody here debating so late into the night and for everything we have shared today.
I am wondering if the member can share if he believes in the importance of having mental health and physical health parity. We know that our bodies and our mental health are interconnected in so many ways. If so, how can he help us move forward and reach that parity within our provinces and territories?
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, my background prior to becoming a member of Parliament was in mental health and addictions, and also around many of the symptoms of poverty. It inspired me to want to get involved in federal politics.
On the ground, we see the trickle effect of the federal government underfunding provinces and territories, which then seeps into municipalities and local school boards. When we do not have the federal leadership at the top or we do not have funding provided at the top, it impacts those who are trying their very best to provide supports to those who need it on the ground.
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, that is such an important point, which I completely agree with. When individuals do not get the mental health supports they need, it does not just impact those individuals, but it also impacts us as a whole, as well as their loved ones and our communities. It costs us all money. There are ripple effects and costs associated with us not living to our full and healthiest capacity.
We spend a lot of time right now, in light of the pandemic, reacting to mental illness, rather than putting in place the prevention that can actually save us money, if we want to look at the economic benefits. My hope is that with these conversations today, we can come together and make sure that Canadians have access to the supports they need.
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, I was trying to understand what it was exactly that the member was asking. I am not sure if that is an app, a program or something that can be used on our phones.
To answer based on the information I have, absolutely, mental health concerns with children are on the rise. Technology use is definitely a component in that. There are benefits to technology that can be used, like for education purposes. There are ways to stay connected through technology. It is definitely a factor that is being looked at by educators and support workers in the community. If we had the health care transfer put into place in the provinces and territories, that could be further looked into in ensuring that youth and children are getting the support that they need to stay at their healthiest.
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, I am happy to be here today, and I am honoured to share my time with the member for Milton.
I am honoured to rise today and speak in the take-note debate brought forward by my NDP colleague and member of Parliament for Courtenay—Alberni around the mental health crisis that is having a ripple effect on Canadians across the country. I am inspired by the tremendous work, dedication and heart that my colleague shows every day in his work to address the mental health and toxic substance emergency we are currently facing. I am also proud to see all parties coming together to debate this important issue.
We know that 50% of Canadians experience a mental illness by the age of 40. However, compounding and interconnected with the mental health crisis is the climate crisis. Just this week in my riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith, there was another air quality warning, with smoke blanketing our beautiful island. It is currently nearing late October, a time when residents of Vancouver Island are normally outfitted in their favourite rain jackets and rain boots, but instead the grass is dry and the sky is smoky with the unusually warm and dry weather conditions being experienced by much of the province of British Columbia, and this has been happening for weeks.
Extreme and unseasonable weather in B.C. and across the country continue to be more and more common. These catastrophic weather events, including flooding, fires and droughts, do not only impact our physical health, damage our homes and threaten food crops, but they impact our mental health.
As expected, the prevalence of climate anxiety continues to rise. Climate anxiety was never more evident than in my work directly with children and youth in my riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith. As the effects of the climate crisis unfold, the anxiety that follows continues to rise. I hear loud and clear from youth in Nanaimo—Ladysmith public schools, for example, that they are worried about their future and are demanding all levels of government to step up and make the changes and decisions necessary to save our planet and their future. Instead, these youth watch as the government purchases pipelines and billions of dollars of subsidies are handed to big oil and gas, which further exacerbates the climate crisis.
Youth in my riding are sharing with me that they are feeling hopeless that those who are in positions who can make a difference today to ensure a future for tomorrow are choosing to continue on with the same patterns of behaviour that have resulted in the climate crisis we are experiencing today. They are hopeless that the leaders today are choosing profit over the health of the planet. Hopelessness is a significant indicator of suicidality. These youth deserve better. These youth deserve hope.
As the climate crisis continues to impact us all, the health and well-being of Canadians will continue to be impacted. Instead of prevention, health care workers are left to respond to often preventable and complex health conditions within an overwhelmed health care system. While Canadians continue to feel the impacts of COVID-19, more and more Canadians are experiencing mental illness, and substance use is steadily on the incline.
The toxic substance crisis continues to tragically take the lives of loved ones. On average in B.C., six or more people die a day. Again, that is six people a day. We are losing loved ones at a rate like never seen before in this toxic substance crisis. These are deaths that could have been prevented if the recommendations of health experts were being followed, recommendations such as access to harm reduction supports, affordable and accessible mental health care, decriminalization of substances and on-demand treatment, to name just a few. Canadians so desperately need to see leadership at the federal level to give much-needed hope that we are in fact a country that takes care of one another.
It bears mentioning once again what Margaret Eaton from the Canadian Mental Health Association said. She said:
Even if the immediate impacts of COVID-19 are subsiding, the...mental health and addiction sector cannot meet these growing needs with the current patchwork funding and disjointed service delivery model. It's time to overhaul our mental health system.
This current patchwork system will continue to be seen in our provinces and territories until we see federal leadership through the commitments made by this government to provide the mental health funding required.
We know that positive mental health and well-being allows us to fully enjoy life, better cope with stress and bounce back from setbacks. Canadians need this government to follow through with their election platform to create a permanent mental health transfer to the provinces and territories to expand and improve mental health care. The commitment of $4.5 billion over five years would save lives and make a positive impact on the health and well-being of Canadians. Let us give Canadians hope.
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, I thank the member for sharing with us her personal experience of what she saw with her children and the importance of having mental health supports in place.
I am also a parent and one thing I have noticed that has been impacting the mental health of a lot of children and youth is climate anxiety, which is basically the impact of climate change and the increase in anxiety as a result. I wonder if the member could share if she is hearing that from constituents and how she feels we could best address the impact of climate change and how it impacts the mental health of youth.
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, does the member agree that as part of the conversation we are having this evening about mental health, it is important that we look at the holistic picture around mental illness prevention and invest in the social determinants of health, such as housing, livable income, healthy and nutritious foods?
I wonder if you could offer some thoughts around the importance of wraparound supports for Canadians.
Mental Health October 20th, 2022
Madam Chair, I thank the member for all his work and everything he has shared this evening. It is so inspiring to me, as someone who was newly elected a year ago, to see another member of Parliament speak from the heart. It really instills a lot of hope for me in the future of our work. I also want to thank the member for his work around PTSD and the three-digit hotline.
I worked in mental health and addictions prior to coming into work as a member of Parliament, and I saw how underfunded it was. I wonder if the member could share if he feels that stigma may play a part in the lack of follow-through that we are currently seeing on the mental health transfers to provinces and territories.
Taxation October 20th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of groceries. The increase in food prices has hit a 41-year high, rising twice as quickly as people's wages. This week, we made the Liberals and the Conservatives admit that CEO corporate greed is driving up food prices. Now it is time for the government to take a stand and support families.
When will the Liberals finally close tax loopholes, forcing CEOs to pay what they owe?
Canada Disability Benefit Act October 17th, 2022
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for all of his work and advocacy around this bill and getting people with disabilities the support they need and deserve.
It is vital that we are getting all hands on deck and getting this work done today. That includes having our federal Liberal government working alongside provinces and territories to ensure that this benefit is provided in such a way that those living with disabilities are receiving the benefits that they need and deserve. Ensuring that clawbacks are not happening is just one example.
Absolutely, there are many amendments that still need to be done. This is not the bill that the NDP would have put forward, but it is a step in the right direction.