Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health (MACMH) summary of discussion for May 2 to 3, 2019

Office of the Minister of Health - In attendance

• The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health
• Hana Kokanovic, Policy Advisor, Office of Minister of Health
• Olivier Hussein, Student, Moncton Constituency Office (May 2)

Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health members

In attendance

• Judith Bartlett (Co-chair)
• Manon Charbonneau (Co-chair)
• Brooke Chambers
• Shaleen Jones
• Nick Kates
• Emma McCann
• Petrea Taylor (May 2)
• Skye Barbic
• Julie Kathleen Campbell
• Carol Hopkins
• Ian Manion (via telephone)
• Marion Cooper (via telephone, May 2)
• Christopher Lalonde (via telephone, May 2)
• Laurence Martin-Caron (via telephone, May 2)

Regrets

• Jack Saddleback
• David Gardner
• Dillon Black
• Vicky Stergiopoulos
• Nicholas van den Berg

Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health secretariat - In attendance

• Marie-Anik Gagné, Manager, Mental Health Unit, Health Canada
• Susan Phillips, Senior Policy Analyst, Mental Health Unit, Health Canada

Ex-officio members - In attendance

• Tammy Bell, A/Director General, Health Portfolio Office of International Affairs

Mental Health Unit, Strategic Policy Branch, Health Canada (via telephone)

• Gregory Gillespie
• Neil Goedhuis
• Ken McAllister
• Jennifer Turner
• Gilbert Ghantous
• Bennett Jovaisas

Thursday, May 2, 2019, in Moncton, New Brunswick (3 to 8:30 pm)

1. Welcome and introductions

• Marie-Anik Gagné welcomed the council to Moncton. She informed the council that the Minister and her staff would arrive at 5:30 pm. Marie-Anik passed the meeting to the co-chairs, Judith Bartlett and Manon Charbonneau.

2. On-going business

• Judith Bartlett led round table introductions.
• Approval of agenda:
  • The agenda was approved and no additions were proposed. Judith informed the council that WMA Inc. would be unable to attend the meeting, and that Horizon and Vitalitié Addictions Mobile Crisis Services would be presenting.

3. Recapitulation of June MACMH meeting and discussion

• Manon Charbonneau provided introductory remarks regarding the task groups and provided context on the development of the proposed recommendations since January to April 2019.
• Marie-Anik Gagné led the discussion providing a brief summary of what each task group developed, followed by an in-depth discussion with the council. A lively discussion took place regarding the draft recommendations, with minor revisions for each proposal.
• Due to the time constraints, only 3 of the 7 task groups were discussed in detail prior to the Minister's arrival. It was agreed that the remaining 4 task groups would be discussed after the Minister had adjourned the meeting at 8:30 pm.

4. Welcome by minister and roundtable

• The Minister arrived at 5:30 pm and invited council members to join her for dinner.

5. Presentation by ACCESS Open Minds New Brunswick

• Dr. Ann Beaton and Lacey Clair from ACCESS Open Minds presented on the organization's success in providing evidence-based mental health care and fostering community partnerships in the Province of New Brunswick.

6. Presentation by Horizon and Vitalitié Addictions Mobile Crisis Services

• Denise Fortin and Anne Losier from Horizon and Vitalitié Addictions Mobile Crisis Services presented on addictions and mental health services in Moncton. This organization works in conjunction with the RCMP and regional health authorities to provide mental health supports in the community.

7. Summary and next steps

• The Minister thanked ACCESS Open Minds New Brunswick and Horizon and Vitalitié Addictions Mobile Crisis Services for their presentations to the council. The Minister informed the council that she looked forward to the recommendations that would be presented on Friday.

8. Adjournment

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.

9. Recapitulation of June MACMH meeting and discussion (cont'd)

Following late night discussions, council members agreed unanimously that the following recommendations would be presented on Friday, May 3, to the Minister of Health:

• Recommendation #1 – Overarching framework 
• Recommendation #2 – First Nations, Inuit, Métis engagement
• Recommendation #3 – Accreditation of mental health and substance use programs
• Recommendation #4 – Mental health and substance use human resources (unanimous decision to keep on hold)
• Recommendation #5 – Toolkit for publicly funded psychological therapies and Indigenous cultural practices
• Recommendation #6 – Improved capacity to collect, analyze and mobilize data
• Recommendation #7 - Mental Health and Wellness Research Strategy

Friday, May 3, 2019, in Moncton, New Brunswick (8:30 to 11:30 am)

1. Welcome

• The Minister welcomed the council to the second day of the meeting.

2. Summary of recommendations to the minister

• Manon Charbonneau provided a summary of the recommendations that were developed from January to April 2019. Individual council members presented a more fulsome synopsis on each recommendation, followed by a discussion with the council and the Minister.

3. Presentation by the Office of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio (Public Health Agency of Canada)

• Tammy Bell, Acting Director General, Office of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio presented on Canada's international engagement in global mental health.

Comments for the Office of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio

• Acknowledge Indigenous populations and their needs in relation to substance use.
• Ensure the voice of Indigenous peoples are recognized.
• Build capacity to support the mental health gap and integrate mental health services in primary care and in medical settings.
• Develop programs that allow mental health professionals to be sent in the community to train people on mental health supports.
• Study the role of Peer Support Canada and Integrated Youth Health Models.
• Understand stigma and what is culturally relevant for mental health.
• Understand how our communities have mobilized.
• Recognize what has and has not worked, be transparent, and share processes that have been developed on mental health.
• Acknowledge sexual abuse in Indigenous communities (including intergenerational trauma) and focus on the lack of attention to healing.
• Ensure that more data is collected on Métis in Canada.

4. Summary and next steps

• The Minister thanked council members for their input and rich discussion.
• The Minister also expressed her gratitude to Tammy Bell for her presentation, as well as the co-chairs, secretariat and Health Canada staff for their work.
• Next steps: Teleconference calls will be scheduled to discuss the remaining work, and the summary of discussion will be circulated for review to the council for input.

5. Adjournment

• The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 am.