Today, Indigenous leaders concluded the 2023 National Summit on Indigenous Mental Wellness which heard directly from community leaders and service providers about new approaches to tackling longstanding challenges in mental health and wellness. Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Ya’ara Saks attended the Summit, provided remarks and took part in discussions.

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“For centuries, Indigenous Peoples have known that wellness and health depended on holistic connections and relationships with each other, and with culture. Western systems of care have often not worked to bring relief and healing for Indigenous Peoples, leading to great suffering, loss and difficult cycles of hope followed by despair. In fact, some non-Indigenous Peoples have felt that same frustration in the search for the healing for their loved ones or themselves. Bringing Indigenous Peoples together to share the approaches to healing is powerful and necessary to see stronger people and communities.”

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services

“Intergenerational trauma, the effects of colonization, the residential school system, the Sixties Scoop, poverty and many other factors contribute to Indigenous peoples having experienced higher rates of mental health and substance use issues. During this summit, we had the opportunity to hear from Indigenous organizations who have been doing incredible work, with their culturally safe approaches to mental well-being, including land-based approaches to treatment and healing. We are committed to working in partnership with them, Indigenous leaders, communities and others, to promote compassionate approaches to mental wellness that put people first.”

The Honourable Ya’ara Saks
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health

• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) works closely with Indigenous partners and is guided by key documents that were developed by Indigenous partners, grounded in culture and Indigenous-specific determinants of health, including:

  • The First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework,
  • Honouring Our Strengths and;
  • The National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy. 

• The Government of Canada has made significant recent investments to improve mental wellness in Indigenous communities. Since 2015, Indigenous Services Canada has doubled spending to support Indigenous mental wellness from approximately $325 million in 2015-16 to approximately $650 million in 2023-24. This funding includes:

  • $597.6 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, through Budget 2021 for a distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategy with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. This funding also provides essential cultural, emotional, and mental health support to former residential school and federal Day School students and their families, as well as those affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
  • $227.6 million over two years, beginning in 2022-23, through Budget 2022 to maintain trauma-informed, Indigenous-led, culturally-appropriate services to improve mental wellness, and continue to implement distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategies.

• Indigenous Services Canada funds mental wellness services that include culturally grounded life promotion and suicide prevention; substance use prevention and treatment, mental wellness teams; a toll-free telephone help line and online chat crisis intervention services; and supports for Survivors and families of residential schools, Day Schools, and those impacted by the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLBGTQI+ people.

• National Summit on First Nation, Inuit and Métis Mental Wellness

Associated links

• First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework
• Honouring Our Strengths – Full Version | Thunderbird Partnership Foundation
• National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy (PDF)
• Working together to improve health care for Canadians

For more information, media may contact:

Zeus Eden
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Indigenous Services
zeus.eden@sac-isc.gc.ca

Alex Fernandes
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
alexander.fernandes@hc-sc.gc.ca
613-290-0318

Media Relations
Indigenous Services Canada
819-953-1160
media@sac-isc.gc.ca

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