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Public Policy

The Canadian Mental Health Association is the only association in Canada that addresses all aspects of mental health and mental illness. We promote and advocate through strong connections we forge with policymakers, mental health consumers and their families, educators, the media, stakeholders and other service providers.

CMHA’s National office influences public policy at the federal level with a multi-faceted approach that includes strengthening our relationship with government officials and politicians. In addition, we focus on the ongoing submission of briefs and presentations to Standing Committees on Finance, Health, Human Resources Development, Justice and others.

CMHA Policy Statements articulate the general principles and recommendations relating to a particular issue which are endorsed by the CMHA.

Access to Services

Access to mental health services is an issue that significantly impacts all Canadians, whether living with a mental illness or not. When the First Ministers convened this past February to discuss the long-term future of health care in Canada, improving access and quality of community mental health services was identified as one of eight priority […]Continue readingAccess to Services

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by Mental Health Service Providers

The Canadian Mental Health Association recognizes that sexual exploitation and abuse by mental health service providers takes place. The Association also recognizes that without fail such exploitation and abuse are harmful to mental health consumers. Evidence has come from anecdotal reports, complaints to professional associations, and more recently from surveys of the general public and […]Continue readingSexual Exploitation and Abuse by Mental Health Service Providers

Women and Work

The Canadian Mental Health Association believes that social inequality has damaging consequences for women’s mental well-being. Inequalities continue to exist for Canadian women with respect to family life, education, training, employment, and decision-making roles in society. Although a small proportion of women are benefiting from policies designed to increase access to professional occupations that command […]Continue readingWomen and Work

Employment: Incentives and Accommodations

The Canadian Mental Health Association, through research and experience, has proved that people who experience mental illness can be employed successfully. Persons with mental illness can and do hold responsible jobs and make significant contributions in their work, home and leisure lives. However, not all persons who could be employed are working because they, potential […]Continue readingEmployment: Incentives and Accommodations

Advocacy and Persons with Long-Term Mental Health Problems

Since its inception over seventy years ago, the Canadian Mental Health Association has been a unique advocate for the chronically mentally ill. During the past decade, CMHA has expanded its mandate from promoting service delivery to active support of self-help initiatives and the community resource base. The protection of individual rights in therapeutic programs and […]Continue readingAdvocacy and Persons with Long-Term Mental Health Problems

Women and Mental Health

Social inequality has damaging consequences for the mental and emotional well-being of women. Throughout their lives, women may be considered “at risk” of developing emotional problems due to a host of social factors. Limited participation in public life, restricted decision-making, devalued role expectations, poverty, violence and sexual abuse undermine the potential for emotional well-being. Social […]Continue readingWomen and Mental Health

Women and Health Care

A number of studies on women’s health have demonstrated strong links between health status and socioeconomic factors affecting women. Limited participation in public life, restricted decision-making, devalued role expectations, poverty, violence and sexual abuse encumber the potential for mental well-being. Social and economic stresses, coupled with the inequitable burdens imposed by role expectations, often have […]Continue readingWomen and Health Care

Consumer Involvement

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a strong supporter of the need for a strong consumer voice in all aspects of mental illness/mental health policy, planning, and delivery – from participation to decision-making to choice.  As articulated in CMHA’s Framework for Support model, consumers – that is, people who have had direct experience with […]Continue readingConsumer Involvement

Project IN4M: Summary Final Report

Project IN4M is a three-phase research project, jointly funded by Health Canada and the Mental Health Commission. It’s overall goal is to improve the accessibility of high-quality mental-health services “through needs-based predictive modelling of health, social, education, criminal justice and private sector human resources – including informal caregivers.” Phase One, the subject of this report, […]Continue readingProject IN4M: Summary Final Report

Project IN4M: Final Report

Overall, Phase One of Project IN4M confirms that the potential exists to put in place a reliable, needs-based predictive model built around incidence and prevalence of mental health disorders and leading practices here in Canada and imported from other countries such as Australia. While the project confirms that mental health is, for the most part, […]Continue readingProject IN4M: Final Report