Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health - Terms of Reference

On this page

• Preamble
• Reporting Structure/Governance
• Mandate
• Appointment and Tenure
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Chairperson or Co-Chairs
• Meetings
• Travel and Expenses
• Affiliations and Interests
• Confidentiality Provisions
• Indemnification of Members: When Serving as Volunteers
• Resignation Process
• End of Appointment
• Administration

Preamble

A significant number of Canadians are directly and indirectly affected by poor mental health.

The Canadian health system has been challenged to adequately respond to the rising burden of mental illness. Working collaboratively with provincial and territorial governments, as well as partners and stakeholders, the Government of Canada is investing in a range of initiatives and programs to improve the availability and quality of mental health services, promote positive mental health, and contribute to the prevention of mental illness and suicide.

The Government's vision for a healthy Canada includes a commitment to improving the mental health and wellbeing of all Canadians.

Reporting Structure/Governance

The Ministerial Advisory Council on Mental Health (the Council) will report directly to the Minister of Health on matters related to mental health.

The Minister and the Council will be supported by the Health Portfolio (i.e. Canadian Institute of Health Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada). The Secretariat function will reside within Health Canada.

Health Canada advisory bodies operate under the Health Canada Policy on External Advisory Bodies (2011). All elements of the Policy apply to the Council.^{Footnote 1}

Mandate

The Council will provide evidence-informed advice to the Minister of Health on current and emerging issues, challenges and opportunities that help improve the mental wellbeing of Canadians. The Council will support the Minister of Health in the development of concrete actions and recommendations based on evidence, and will provide advice on achieving a sustainable transformation of Canada's mental health systems.

Appointment and Tenure

The Minister of Health shall appoint no more than 21 members to the Council to hold office during pleasure for a term not exceeding three years. The term may be renewed for one or more future terms. Participation as a member on the Council is voluntary.

The Council may include any person with relevant knowledge or expertise related to mental health, including, but not be limited to the following areas of expertise:

• people with lived experience and caregivers;
• academics, medical doctors/specialists;
• children and youth mental health professionals;
• Indigenous health experts;
• addictions experts; and,
• specialists in suicide prevention and volunteer sector.

The federal government representatives will be Ex-Officio members (Director General, Health Care Programs and Policy Directorate, Strategic Policy Branch, Health Canada; Director General, Centre for Health Promotion, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada). These members can provide information but they cannot be part of the decision making and advice to the Minister of Health in the context of the Council.

Creating the Council does not limit the Minister's access to other sources of information or advice. The Minister may choose to invite guest speakers with expertise on topics of interest or have Ex-Officio members provide information. The Minister may also convene roundtables or panel discussions with other experts on pertinent topics.

Roles and Responsibilities

Members of the Council have a responsibility to the Minister of Health and, by extension, to Canadians, to give their best evidence-based advice on mental health based on their areas of expertise and/or lived experience in the field of mental health.

Members are also expected to:

• be available and prepared to participate in council meetings, including Internet meetings, email exchanges, conference calls, and videoconferencing;
• notify the Secretariat of any changes in their affiliations and interests related to the Council's mandate during the time they are members of the Council; and
• direct any media enquiries related to the Council's work to the Secretariat and notify the Secretariat.

Members of the Council will not receive remuneration for the performance of their duties.

Chairperson or Co-Chairs

The Minister of Health will appoint two Co-Chairs from the Council membership.

The primary role of the Co-Chairs is to be facilitators and coordinators and they also participate in formulating the Council's recommendations.

Meetings

The meetings of the Council will be held twice annually and will be convened approximately every 6 months. The Minister of Health may request additional meetings throughout the year as required.

Travel and Expenses

Members will be reimbursed for expenses incurred on approved travel, such as trip costs and accommodation, according to the Treasury Board's Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.

Affiliations and Interests

All members are required to complete and return the Affiliations and Interests Declaration Form. The personal information in a completed Affiliations and Interests Declaration Form is considered confidential and protected in accordance with the federal Privacy Act and Access to Information Act. A summary of the information in this form may be made public with the permission of the member who signed it.

As a condition of appointment, a Council member must give Health Canada permission to publish a brief biography and summary of expertise, experience and affiliations and interests on its website and through additional means, as needed.

Members must update their declaration in writing whenever their situation changes during the course of their term on the Council.

Confidentiality Provisions

Specific advice to the Minister of Health will be treated confidentially by the Council members. Meeting agendas and summaries of Board discussions may be made publicly available. Everyone must sign a Confidentiality Agreement before participating in the Council as a member, presenter, or observer.

The Confidentiality Agreement prohibits the disclosure of any confidential information received through the Council, including information received orally or in writing, through email correspondence, telephone calls, print materials, meeting discussions, etc.

Indemnification of Members: When Serving as Volunteers

All members serve on a volunteer basis. Health Canada undertakes to provide its volunteer Council members with protection against civil liability provided the volunteer member acts in good faith, within the scope of their volunteer duties; and does not act against the interests of the Crown and does not have available to him/her such protection.

Advice and recommendations provided to the Minister of Health are based on committee discussions and must have the endorsement of the majority of committee members. Members act collectively as advisors to the Minister of Health with respect to the mandate of the Council but they are not final decision-makers. The Minister of Health has the ultimate responsibility and accountability for any decision resulting from the advice received from an external advisory body.

A Record of Discussion will be prepared as the Council's collective advice, and will be circulated to Council members following each meeting.

Resignation Process

A member may resign from the Council by providing written notice to Health Canada via the Secretariat, with a copy to the Co-Chairs. The letter should state the effective date of the resignation. It is preferred that the member give 14 days notice of his or her intent to resign, however, he or she should inform the Co-Chairs as early as possible.

End of Appointment

Health Canada may end a member's appointment by writing to the member stating the reasons the appointment is being concluded and the effective date. Appointments may end for a variety of reasons such as: the member's term is complete; or for cause such as, a member fails to act according to the Terms of Reference, breaks the Confidentiality Agreement, or misses three consecutive meetings without a satisfactory reason.

Administration

Secretariat support to the Council will be provided by Health Canada. Should the work of the Council necessitate analysis or policy briefs to advance consideration of potential options for action, these will be developed by the Health Portfolio.