What the Government of Canada is doing to help prevent suicide

Find out what we're doing to better understand and to help prevent suicide in Canada.

On this page

• Bringing 9-8-8 to Canada
• The Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention
• Other activities
• For more information

Bringing 9-8-8 to Canada

On November 30, 2023, 9-8-8, Canada's national three-digit number for suicide prevention and emotional distress will launch. Funded by the Government of Canada and delivered by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 9-8-8 will be:

• available by phone and text
• accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• provided in English and French
• trauma-informed
• culturally appropriate
• available to anyone in Canada

Canada's 9-8-8 service will build on the current Talk Suicide Canada model, where existing distress and crisis services across the country will form the 9-8-8 responder network.

The Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention

Working Together to Prevent Suicide in Canada: The Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention has been developed to:

• reduce stigma and raise public awareness
• make information and resources about suicide and its prevention available to all Canadians
• increase the use of research and best practices in suicide prevention

The framework:

• encourages partnerships and collaboration with:
  • communities
  • the private sector
  • provinces and territories
  • Indigenous organizations
  • non-governmental organizations
  • people directly affected by suicide
  • researchers and mental health professionals
• builds on efforts already underway regarding suicide prevention
• communicates and guides federal priorities on suicide prevention

The Government of Canada's actions on suicide prevention can be found in the most recent Progress Report on the Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention.

Other activities

We carry out a range of activities to improve mental health and help to prevent suicide, including:

• funding research related to suicide
• promoting healthy living and mental well-being
• monitoring and sharing information and statistics on suicide

We also fund or provide health care services for:

• Veterans
• First Nations and Inuit
• members of the RCMP
• people serving federal sentences
• Canadian Armed Forces personnel
• newcomers to Canada, including refugees

More detail on these activities can be found in the Overview of Federal Initiatives in Suicide Prevention.

For more information

• About suicide
• Centre for Suicide Prevention
• Improving your mental health
• Find a crisis centre: Crisis centres across Canada
• Mental Health Commission of Canada: Suicide prevention
• Suicide in Canada: Key statistics (infographic)

Resources for professionals

• Statistics Canada information on suicide, including tables and articles
• National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy
• National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy
• First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework
• World Health Organization: LIVE LIFE: An implementation guide for suicide prevention in countries