The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is a

nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

created by the

Canadian government The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in-C ...

in 2007 in response to a

senate committee This is a complete list of U.S. congressional committees ( standing committees and select or special committees) that are operating in the United States Senate. Senators can be a member of more than one committee. Standing committees , there a ...

tasked to study

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

, and

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

. The committee appointed

Michael J. L. Kirby Michael J. L. Kirby (born August 5, 1941) is a Canadian politician. He sat in the Senate of Canada as a Liberal representing Nova Scotia. He is the former chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Born in Montreal, Kirby earned a Bachelo ...

as the first chairperson. The MHCC was endorsed by all the provinces and territories with exception to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. The Commission is funded by

Health Canada Health Canada (HC; french: Santé Canada, SC)Health Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Health (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government#Departments, with subsidiary unit ...

and has a ten-year mandate (from 2007 to 2017) enforced through a

sunset clause In public policy, a sunset provision or sunset clause is a measure within a statute, regulation or other law that provides that the law shall cease to have effect after a specific date, unless further legislative action is taken to extend the law ...

. On 21 April 2015,

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

Joe Oliver announced that the 2015 federal budget calls for the renewal of the MHCC for another ten-year mandate starting in 2017-2018. The organization is governed by a

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

including government and non-governmental directors. Since 2013, the board has been assisted by an advisory council and a network of ambassadors. From 2007 to 2012, the board was assisted by eight advisory committees. The Commission is not responsible to undertake service-delivery or advocacy for mental health services. The aim is provide relevant jurisdictions and stakeholders with tools and information required to improve the quality of and access to mental health care. The proposal for creation of the MHCC was made by the

Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology The Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (SOCI) is a standing committee of the Senate of Canada. It has a mandate to examine legislation and matters relating to social affairs, science and technology generally, inclu ...

in 2006 in their publication,
Out of the Shadows at Last
, a comprehensive study of the state of mental health care in Canada.

Mandate of the Mental Health Commission of Canada

The MHCC was tasked with three major objectives.: #To develop
national mental health strategy
(until 2008, Canada was the only G8 nation that did not have one). #To oversee the development and implementation of an anti-stigma and anti-discrimination campaign. #To create
Knowledge Exchange Centre
with the aim of mobilizing evidence-based knowledge to improve best practices and increasing dialogue across Canada. In addition to the three initiatives stated above, a fourth initiative was added when the Commission entered into a five-year Health Canada funding agreement in 2008 to support five research demonstration projects on mental health and homelessness
Mental Health First Aid
was added to the Commission in 2010. The MHCC does not provide clinical services, direct fiscal or human resources related to clinical practice, monitor government performance, or engage in advocacy with government bodies. It operates outside the federal/provincial/territorial constitutional framework, working at all jurisdictional levels.

Former Advisory Committees

From 2007 to 2012, the MHCC worked with eight committees, each having approximately 120 members with expertise and experience in a different field of mental health, in order to oversee their mandate. The committees were tasked with advising on the following major areas of concern: '
Child and Youth
''
The Evergreen Framework
a Canadian policy paper on mental health issues concerning children and youth. * Evidence-based mental health services for youth through schools. * The MHCC Youth Council '
Family Caregivers
'' '
First Nations, Inuit and Metis
'' '
Mental Health and the Law
'' * assist in the development of best practices for law enforcement through the creation of The Police Project. * develop tools to study the impact of human rights on the mentally ill and their involvement with the law. '
Seniors
'' * the creation of guidelines to support people involved in the care of seniors. * the drafting of the Seniors Mental Health Policy Lens Toolkit (SMPHL), a survey designed to assess the mental health of senior citizens. '
Service Systems
'' * addressing issues surrounding peer support, immigrants, refugees, racially marginalized groups and housing. '
Science
'' '
Workforce
'' * advising on the writing of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.

Other Significant Projects and Initiatives

At Home

The Commission's
At Home
research project ("Chez Soi" in French) looked to address

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

for people with mental illness by combining treatment with places to live, and is the largest experiment of its kind in the world. Taking place in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton, the project is based on the

Housing First Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy ...

model of the

Pathways to Housing Pathways to Housing is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1992 by Dr. Sam Tsemberis.McCarroll, Christina."Pathways to Housing the Homeless" The Christian Science Monitor, May 1, 2002. It is the mission of Pathways to Housing to transform indi ...

program in the United States, which has reported positive results in cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington. In 2012, the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB) is documenting the results of the At Home project with the interactive

web documentary A web documentary, interactive documentary, or multimedia documentary is a documentary production that differs from the more traditional forms—video, audio, photographic—by applying a full complement of multimedia tools. The interactive multim ...

''Here At Home''. Fifty short documentaries about the experiences of participants in At Home are being added to the NFB website until the summer of 2013. Directors on the NFB project include

Manfred Becker Manfred Becker (born March 10, 1960) is a German-Canadian documentary independent filmmaker and film editor. His work often explores personal stories behind current or historical issues. Born and raised in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, Becker moved ...

(Toronto),

Lynne Stopkewich Lynne Stopkewich (born 1964) is a Canadian film director. She attracted attention for her feature film directorial debut '' Kissed'' (1996). Life and career In 1987, Stopkewich obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in film studies from Conc ...

(Vancouver) and Louiselle Noël (Moncton). The research portion of this project concluded in March 2013.

Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada

On May 8, 2012, Canada became the last of the G8 nations to create a national mental health strategy. The document, ''Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada,'' set out six strategic aims, including implementation, prevention, diversity, access and delivery of services.

Opening Minds

Th
Opening Minds
initiative was launched in 2009 to combat stigma against mental illness. The Commission invited organizations across the country to submit applications for to be considered for inclusion in the program. Currently they work with 65 partners and 45 active projects. It was decided that the projects would focus on four target groups, namely: healthcare providers, youth (12-18), workforce, and media.

Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Standard

On 16 January 2013, the MHCC announced the release of the Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Standard. This framework was designed to be adapted by Canadian companies in assisting them to implement policies and practices aimed at combatting mental illness and identifying potential hazards to their employees.

Partnership with the National Mental Health Commission of Australia

In March 2013, the MHCC announced a partnership with the National Mental Health Commission of Australia. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed to share knowledge on best practices for mental health research.

Informing the Future: Mental Health Indicators for Canada

MHCC initiate
Informing the Future
to paint a picture of mental health in Canada. These indicators provide information on the mental health status of children and youth, adults, and seniors, as well as show how the mental health care system responds to mental illness.

References

External links

* *
Here At Home
' a National Film Board of Canada web documentary about At Home/Chez Soi {{DEFAULTSORT:Mental Health Commission Of Canada 2007 establishments in Canada Federal departments and agencies of Canada Health Canada Mental health organizations in Canada