$82.5-million for Indigenous mental health support during COVID-19

In a press conference this afternoon, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller announced $82.5-million in new federal funding for urgent mental health support for Indigenous communities across Canada.

“We acknowledge that there is a disparity between mental wellness support available to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, and we know this is unacceptable,” said Miller, who is also the MP for Ville-Marie-Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Soeurs.

“A sustained target of investment is needed to ensure that culturally safe mental wellness services remain available and community driven, culturally appropriate and timely mental health supports are critical to the well-being of anyone struggling to cope with the added stress and anxiety that the COVID-19 pandemic has created.”

Miller noted that calls to the Hope for Wellness mental health hotline for Indigenous Canadians tripled between the early months of 2019 and the same period in 2020. The new federal funding will go to new services as well as “transitioning some services to virtual platforms and supporting indigenous partners in the development of innovative strategies to address substance abuse and harm reduction.”

For more about today’s announcement, please visit the Indigenous Services Canada website.

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