Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, concluded a trip to Rome, Italy as part of Canada's delegation to the Global Mental Health Summit.
This year's Summit theme was Skills, Rights, Care: Time to Act; advancing a community-based approach to mental health, and was hosted by the Italian Government, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), to increase mental health awareness and strengthen global action on key issues related to mental health care.
While in Rome, Minister Bennett heard from internationally recognised leaders in mental health as they shared wise practices and innovative approaches to support mental health and prevent substance use harms. Additionally, she participated in a workshop that focused on the value of community-based mental health initiatives for mitigating stigma and discrimination where she highlighted domestic initiatives and made recommendations for supporting positive mental health and substance use behaviours and resiliency within communities. The Summit was also an opportunity for Minister Bennett to share Canada's approach to address mental health with officials and partners from other countries and connect with representatives from the World Federation for Mental Health and United for Global Mental Health.
Key discussions focused on strengthening global action from Governments, international organizations and civil society to address issues related to mental health care, which has been disrupted under the pressure of recent health and humanitarian crises. Of note, Minister Bennett met with Dévora Kestel, Director of Mental Health and Substance Use at the WHO, to discuss how Canada can contribute in a meaningful way to advance momentum on global mental health.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with its international partners to increase mental health awareness, strengthen global cooperation, and advance community-focused approaches to mental health and substance use. Together, we will find new and innovative ways to improve mental health-and make mental health for all a global priority.
