As part of the collaborative work with provinces and territories to meet the health and mental health needs of Canadians, the Government of Canada is also working to develop national mental health and substance use service standards to ensure all Canadians can access the support they need, when they need it.

“As we work to improve Canada’s universal health care system, children, youth and young adults deserve access to the highest quality of mental health and substance use care no matter where they live in Canada. Today’s investment will ensure that the national mental health and substance use service standards that are being developed with provinces and territories are grounded in evidence.”

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health

“Young people are our future. Having been a social worker for over 25 years, I know just how important it is to support them at each stage of their development through high-quality services that are tailored to their needs. Now more than ever, we need to address a lack of support mechanisms in youth mental health care. I am pleased to announce five research projects in Quebec will be studying ways to inform standards specific to mental health and substance use health services for children, youth, and young adults.”

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier
Minister of National Revenue

“All people in Canada should have access to equitable, timely, and evidence-based mental health and substance use health care where and when they need it, and the needs of youth and underserved young Canadians are particularly urgent. These 25 research projects will investigate best practices and guiding principles for the delivery of mental health and substance use health services in various settings to support decision making and ensure the best outcomes for Canada’s children, youth and young adults.”

Dr. Samuel Weiss
Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

• In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada provided $45 million over two years to Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to develop national mental health service standards in collaboration with the provinces and territories and other key partners.

• 1 in 5 Canadians experience mental health or addiction problems in any given year. 70% of these problems have their origins in childhood

• Currently, fewer than 20% of the 1.2 million children experiencing mental health issues are receiving appropriate treatment and care  

• The research projects announced today will study standards relevant to different care settings (e.g., hospital emergency departments, juvenile justice settings), different types of standards (e.g., to reduce wait times or deliver culturally inclusive care), standards for specific mental health and substance use conditions (e.g., depression, eating disorders), and several projects will focus on underserved populations who typically face barriers to accessing mental health and substance use services

• The standards will be for youth and young adults up to 25 years of age and their families

• The research will help uncover the strategies that can increase the likelihood that standards are adopted or applied across health care systems. The results of this research will contribute to the evidence base for pan-Canadian standards for mental health and substance use services for children and youth.

Related products

• Backgrounder: Research funded in Quebec on mental health and substance use service standards for children, youth, and young adults

Associated links

• Government of Canada invests nearly $5M in national mental health and substance use standards for children, youth and young adults
• Standards for Children and Youth Mental Health Services funding opportunity
• National standards for mental health and substance use services

Maja Staka
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
343-552-5568

Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.