Human rights begin with how we care for each other

Dec 10, 2025

Every year on December 10, Human Rights Day invites us to reconnect with a foundational truth: mental health is a universal human right. For CMHA, this principle guides our work and our vision of “a Canada where mental health is a universal human right.” This year’s theme, “Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials,” reminds us that human rights are not abstract or distant — they are what make daily life possible. Safety, dignity, belonging, and the freedom to flourish are not privileges. They are rights.

And these rights begin with how we care for one another: how we show up, how we include, how we listen, and how we work together to build systems that support everyone.

Why mental health belongs in the human rights conversation

Mental health is woven through every aspect of life. It shapes how people connect, work, cope, seek care, and participate fully in their communities. When someone can’t access support, faces discrimination, or is left behind by social systems, laws or policies, their human rights are not being upheld.

In Canada, the rights of many people are at risk. CMHA’s State of Mental Health in Canada 2024 report paints us a stark picture of how far we are from treating mental health as a right for everyone. The report highlights uneven access to timely, culturally safe mental health care, the lack of adequate services in many remote or marginalized communities, and the reality that people often pay out of pocket for supports not covered under our health system. It also identifies a critical gap: Canada still fails to collect consistent, high-quality national data on mental health and substance-use care.

These inequities are not just policy failures; they are human rights failures. And they are reminders that human rights are upheld not only through laws and institutions, but how those laws and institutions come to life through the systems we build and the care we extend to each other.

Mental health and human rights: A collective responsibility

At CMHA’s Mental Health for All Conference this past September, Isha Khan, CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, captured this connection powerfully. She reminded us that:

When we talk about mental health and addictions care, we’re not just talking about services and treatments, and access and supports. We’re talking about human rights.

At the core of every mental health conversation is a simple truth: every person is born with the right to live free and equal in dignity and rights. Upholding this requires a shift in how we think about responsibility:

When we see ourselves as equal to each and every other one of us, we move away from this place where we need to help and the desire to save, and we move closer to recognizing our responsibilities to our fellow humans to protect rights and ensure safety, connection and care.

This is where human rights truly begin: in the everyday ways we choose to care for one another. Human rights work is not only about institutions or major policy changes. It’s also about the small, humane choices — to treat others with dignity, to challenge inequity, to stand up for fairness, and to build communities where everyone feels seen and supported.

Khan emphasized the power each person holds:

Your one action, your one action grounded in human rights, when joined with others, has the power to shift systems.

When we converge around a shared commitment to value our inherent worth and dignity as human beings, the actions we take, even one single action, can make big change.

These words resonate deeply on Human Rights Day. They remind us that progress is built through many small, steady acts of courage, compassion, and care — the very acts that form the foundation of human rights.

Your Actions Matter

On this Human Rights Day, CMHA invites people across Canada to recognize their role in advancing mental health as a human right.

Here’s how you can take meaningful action:

• Voice your support for those whose rights are at risk.
• Use your voice and join our movement to advocate for a mental health system that is fully funded, accessible, and equitable.
• Stand with CMHA as we work to build systems that protect rights and promote well-being for all. Donate today.
• Learn and share how human rights relate to mental health — in your workplace, school, neighbourhood, and online.