Mental health is not a side issue—it is the foundation of Canada’s economy, workforce, and future.

Without it, we cannot build sustainable housing, grow strong communities, or support the next generation of leaders. Yet nearly two decades after Out of the Shadows at Last, Canada still has no national mental health strategy, no federal oversight office, and no accountability for how funding translates into real outcomes for Canadians.

So why should you care?

Because the costs of inaction are showing up everywhere.

Property taxes keep rising. Homelessness and addiction are worsening. Trauma spills into schools, emergency rooms, and workplaces. Politicians keep asking for more money—for police, for crisis lines, for short-term fixes—while ignoring the elephant in the room: you can’t have a healthy Canadian society without mental health.

So how did we get here?

In 2006, Senators Michael Kirby and Wilbert Keon gave Parliament a detailed roadmap for a comprehensive, outcomes-based mental health system. It included a national Mental Health & Wellness Office, measurable targets, and a commitment to prevention—not just crisis response. It was supported across party lines.

But it was never fully implemented.

We’ve studied this long enough. Canadians don’t need more reports—we need action.

That’s why Canadian women—starting with businesswomen in Victoria—are stepping forward to say: we cannot wait another 20 years.

We are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to:

1. Deliver a national mental health and substance use strategy grounded in equity, access, and prevention.
2. Establish a permanent, accountable Mental Health & Wellness Office reporting to Parliament.
3. Fund mental health as core infrastructure, not an afterthought. There is no strong economy without a mentally healthy population.
4. Recognize mental health as a right, not a privilege—and codify that right into the Canadian Charter. Indigenous, racialized, newcomer, and low-income communities have waited long enough.

From small business owners to community leaders, Canadian women are done waiting.

This petition launches with support from a community of women in Victoria and continues through to the recent published Mental Health for All Conference in September 2025.

This is our moment to act—and we need your voice.
Sign the petition. Share it. Demand a Canada where mental health is treated as the foundation it is—not the orphan it has been.