Nice to enjoy a working lunch at the Broken Bow with Kackaamin Family Development Centre staff, Executive Director Lisa Robinson, Program Manager Jackelyn Williams and Peer Support Worker Noah Thomas. The Broken Bow is a fabulous new 100% gluten free restaurant at Port Alberni’s Harbour Key. We discussed challenges to accessing program funding in the face of chronic underfunding of services and issues for Indigenous people in the Canadian Justice system. The federal government needs to apply the "Gladue principles" which require judges to take into consideration the individual circumstances of the person before them in determining a fair sentence. This is critically important to keeping families together and connected. For more information about Kackaamin, one of only three family treatment centres in all of Canada, Click Here:
Mood Disorders Society of Canada Meeting
It was a privilege to meet with representatives from Mood Disorders Society of Canada recently in Ottawa to discuss the important role of community organizations and peer support workers in helping Canadians with mental illnesses. They spoke about how the chronic underfunding of Canada’s mental health sector limits the ability of non-profit organizations to expand services and meet growing demand. We agreed that investing in community mental health organizations could reduce pressures on the healthcare system and help Canadians who are struggling. Finally, we talked about my Private Member’s Bill, C-414, which is pushing for parity between physical and mental health in our universal, public healthcare system. Canada is facing a mental health crisis and it’s clear we need systemic change so everyone can access care when they need it most.