August 12, 2025
The Honourable Marjorie Michel
Minister of Health
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Re: The Urgent Need for Universal, Publicly Funded Mental Health Care in Canada
I write to you today on behalf of the more than 20,000 members of the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU), Canada’s largest federation of independent labour unions, to express our deep concern regarding the state of mental health care in Canada. The CCU is urging your office to take the necessary steps to include comprehensive, publicly funded mental health and psychiatric services within our national Medicare program.
Mental health is health—full stop. And just like physical health care, mental health care must be accessible to all Canadians, regardless of income, employment status, or geographic location. The growing mental health crisis we face demands nothing less than bold and decisive action.
Canadians are facing unprecedented levels of psychological distress. Studies show that one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness or addiction issue in any given year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of anxiety, depression, substance use, and burnout have risen dramatically, especially among youth, Indigenous peoples, and frontline workers.
Despite this, access to mental health services remains grossly inadequate. Many Canadians are left languishing on long waitlists or are forced to pay out-of-pocket for counselling and psychiatric care—costs that can run into hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This two-tiered system exacerbates inequality and leaves far too many without the care they desperately need.
Mental illness doesn’t discriminate, but our health care system currently does. This is unacceptable in a country that prides itself on fairness and universal access to health services.
Failing to address the mental health needs carries enormous economic and social costs. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, mental illness costs the Canadian economy more than $50 billion annually in health care expenses, lost productivity, and social support services. In workplaces across the country, mental health issues are now the leading cause of disability claims and absenteeism.
The CCU represents workers in a wide range of sectors—from education and health care to administration and social services—and our members see the impacts of this crisis every day.
Our members want to work in a society that prioritizes mental well-being. They want a health care system that treats mental health with the same urgency and dignity as any physical illness. They want a federal government that leads with compassion, vision, and integrity.
The solution lies in expanding Canada’s publicly funded health care system to fully include mental health and psychiatric services. This would ensure that every Canadian—regardless of income, job, or postal code—can access high-quality mental health care when they need it, without financial hardship.
The current patchwork of public, private, and non-profit providers has led to fragmentation, inefficiencies, and unequal access. By integrating mental health into Medicare, we can create a coordinated, accountable system that emphasizes early intervention, community-based care, and culturally appropriate services. This would act to reduce Canada’s alarming levels of drug addiction and homelessness, which have grown enormously during just the past few years.
Publicly funded mental health care should include universal access to licensed therapy and counselling, psychiatric assessments and follow-up treatment, mental health crisis response and prevention programs, addiction and substance use treatment services, investments in Indigenous-led mental wellness programs, and expanding training and recruitment for mental health professionals
While health care delivery is a provincial and territorial responsibility, federal leadership is crucial in establishing national standards and ensuring equitable access for all Canadians. The Canada Health Act already sets the framework for universal, publicly administered health care. It is time we expand its scope to include mental health as a core component.
We acknowledge that Budget 2023 introduced a new Canada Mental Health Transfer, but we urge you to go further. The CCU calls on your government to enshrine mental health care within the Canada Health Act as a medically necessary service, and most importantly, establish dedicated, long-term federal funding for universal mental health services.
Minister Michel, we urge you to be a champion for mental health care reform. Let us move forward with the same courage and ambition that gave rise to Canada’s universal Medicare system decades ago. Let us honour the principle that health care is a human right—not a privilege for those who can pay.
The Confederation of Canadian Unions stands ready to work with your office, as well as with health professionals, community organizations, and other stakeholders, to make universal mental health care a reality in this country. Together, we can create a Canada where every person has the support they need to live a life of dignity, resilience, and hope.
Sincerely,
Gregory Ball
President, Confederation of Canadian Unions
ccu-csc.ca
president@ccu-csc.ca
CC: Prime Minister Mark Carney
NDP Interim Leader Don Davies
