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CMHA advocates for the renewal of significant federal funding for mental health services set to expire in 2027
Jul 2, 2026
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) calls on federal government to renew $5 billion in mental health funding in the fall budget to prevent critical service cuts to Canadians.
As the federal government begins its annual exercise exploring items to include in its fall budget, the Canadian Mental Health Association was invited to provide expert witness testimony before the House Standing Committee on Finance. Our sole recommendation: the renewal of a dedicated 10-year, $5 billion federal investment in mental health and addictions services.
The committee appearance is a culmination of months of advocacy work, including CMHA leaders from across the country coming to Parliament Hill to urge federal decision-makers to commit to renewed funding and ensuring continuity of services to Canadians.
A decade ago, the federal government recognized that too many Canadians were unable to access timely, affordable mental health care and acted decisively with investments dedicated to mental health and addictions services through bilateral agreements with provinces and territories.
That investment is scheduled to expire on 31 March 2027.
“Without renewed federal investment these services, that are relied upon to keep people well, may have to be scaled back, or end all together”, Jonny Morris, CMHA BC Division’s CEO explained to the committee. “This means kids and parents will sit on wait lists for longer, get sicker and ultimately end up costing our health care system more— not to mention the significant social impact associated with supporting people experiencing an acute mental health or addictions crises.”
The federal funding has helped Canadians access many community-delivered mental health supports across the country, such as structured psychotherapy and counselling, intensive addiction interventions for at-risk youth, e-mental health for rural communities, and 24/7 mobile crisis services.
“This matters because most mental health services are not covered under Canada’s universal public health system. Canadians therefore must often pay out of pocket for counselling and other supports, if they can afford them at all,” said Sarah Kennell, Vice-President of Policy at CMHA National. “During an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, access to mental health care has become an affordability challenge no less real than housing or food insecurity.”
A recent Pollera survey commissioned by CMHA shows a strong majority (81%) of Canadians support maintaining mental health services through continued funding from the federal government, with 75% saying public funding should help ensure services are affordable and accessible.
CMHA believes the sustainable path forward to safeguard access to affordable mental health services that supports a healthy workforce, young people, and vulnerable populations is for a renewed investment in mental health care.
For organisations wishing to add their support to this advocacy, connect with Mrs. SM Sansouci, National Government Relations Lead (smsansouci@cmha.ca)