M-20 National strategy for addressing the mental health impacts of emergencies

That:

(a) the House recognize that,

(i) the threat of wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters is on the rise as a result of climate change,

(ii) mass casualty events, including the 2018 Fredericton shooting and the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster, leave scars on their communities for years afterward,

(iii) evacuations, property loss, grief, and uncertainty resulting from emergencies have been shown to have lasting impacts on mental health, and can exacerbate mental illnesses,

(iv) Indigenous communities make up approximately 40% of Canadian wildfire evacuations,

(v) the theme of World Mental Health Day 2025 is “mental health in humanitarian emergencies”,

(vi) Australia, New Zealand, and the United States have introduced federal frameworks for addressing mental health following large-scale emergencies,

(vii) the federal government is involved in emergency management, often in collaboration with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments; and

(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should work with the provinces and territories, Indigenous peoples, labour unions, and other stakeholders to develop and implement a national strategy for addressing the mental health impacts of emergencies, including natural disasters and mass casualty events.