e-1736 (National day)

Petition to the House of Commons

• Mental health affects all Canadians at some time through their lives, through a family member, or friend;
• In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental health illness or addiction problem and by the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, 1 in 2 have - or have had - a mental illness;
• Almost one in 10 adults will have gone through a major depression at some point in their lives and the total number of 12-19 year olds in Canada at risk for developing depression is a staggering 3.2 million;
• Canadian youth who experience early adversity such as childhood trauma are more likely to develop mental health problems of all severity;
• Estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are affected by mental illness and 75% of all mental disorders have their first onset before the age of 25;
• Among Canadians aged 15 to 24 years old, suicide is the second leading cause of death. Within indigenous communities, the suicide rate is 5 to 7 times higher than the Canadian average; and
• World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10th each year to raise awareness of mental health issues, advocate to end the social stigma of mental health and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.