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June 2007 - Volume 3, No. 3
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The promise and the challenge
of the Mental Health Commission of Canadaby The Hon. Michael Kirby
Chair, Mental Health Commission of Canada
The announcement by the Government of Canada to fund the creation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) opens up many new possibilities for bringing—and keeping—mental health issues out of the shadows. It provides an opportunity to redress the decades of neglect, ignorance and discrimination that have plagued the mental health sector across Canada.
Support for the creation of the Commission spans the often disparate mental health community, and all levels of government. I believe there is a broad consensus that the Commission’s work will benefit everyone concerned with the mental health of Canadians—and most importantly the many tens of thousands of Canadians living with mental illness.
The Commission will bring discussion of mental health issues more fully into the public eye. In particular, it will facilitate the development of a national strategy on mental health and encourage the exchange of information and collaboration across the mental health community through a new pan-Canadian knowledge exchange centre.
It is clear that unless we make progress in destigmatizing mental illness, it is virtually certain that the resources—both public and private—required to deal adequately with mental health issues will not be available. To meet this challenge, one of the principal tasks of the MHCC will be to undertake a 10-year public education campaign to combat stigma and discrimination. We must change the way Canadians think about people living with mental illness!
Underlying the proposal to create the Commission is a vision for how to transform the organization and delivery of mental health services and supports in Canada. This vision is based on the belief that recovery is possible for the vast majority of people living with mental illness.
To realize this vision, we must build a mental health system that places people living with mental illness at its centre, allowing them to choose those services and supports they need to help them recover. These services must be oriented toward helping people live meaningful and productive lives in their own communities, and must be integrated to provide a seamless continuum of care across the lifespan.
We are, unfortunately, a long way from achieving this vision; much important work still needs to be done by the entire mental health
community.
The role of the Commission is not to replace the thousands of people, both paid and unpaid, who strive daily in uncounted ways to improve the lives of Canadians living with mental illness. Rather, it is to serve as a catalyst and a meeting place.
The Commission can enable valuable experiences to be shared and best practices to be promoted. The Commission will work to challenge stereotypes and inspire people. It will lead the way in provoking a national dialogue about mental health and mental illness in Canada.
But the Commission can only succeed if we all work together—mental health service providers, policy experts and researchers, family caregivers and, above all, people living with mental illness.
It is critical that we respond positively to this challenge.
© Copyright 2007. Canadian Psychiatry Aujourd'hui. All rights reserved.
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February 04, 2012
