dr. allison crawford, the chief medical officer for talk suicide canada and a psychiatrist with toronto’s centre for addiction and mental health, said a system like 988 would both show those struggling with mental health crises that suicide prevention is taken seriously and make it easier for canadians to access urgent help.
the growing demand for mental health services spurred in part by the covid-19 pandemic makes the need for such a system particularly pressing, she added.
“there are huge mental health needs in our communities and that’s only grown over the last number of years,” she said.
“i see this as one important access point into a mental health service that i think needs renewal,” she added, noting she’d also like to see improvements in wraparound mental health support that go beyond crisis services.
pressure to take action is mounting in the political realm, too.
todd doherty, conservative member of parliament for cariboo-prince george, b.c. who introduced the successful motion to establish a centralized hotline system back in 2020, said in a recent statement he’s disappointed in what he calls the government’s “shameful lack of action” on the issue.
“despite receiving the support of grassroots and national mental health organizations, municipalities from across the country and the unanimous support of parliamentarians, this lifesaving initiative remains unavailable to canadians and its status continues to be unknown,” the statement read.
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