Thousands of Ontarians send a strong message to erase the difference

More than 12,500 Ontarians raised their voices during the recent provincial election campaign to let political candidates know that its time to #erasethedifference and fund mental health and addictions care the same as physical health care. In addition to garnering signatures, the Erase the Difference campaign created significant social media impact, reaching more than 1.5 million people. This exposure, in part, encouraged the three main political parties to make funding for mental health and addictions a key issue during the election.

During the campaign, the Ontario PCs specifically said they’d seek expert advice from CMHA, Addictions Mental Health Ontario and Children’s Mental Health Ontario. We welcome this spirit of collaboration and will be pleased to work with the government to make sure mental health and addictions funding stays on the political radar.

The PC government has committed $1.9 billion for mental health and addictions care over 10 years. This matches the federal government’s commitment over the same period, bringing the total investment to $3.8 billion. CMHA Ottawa looks forward to sitting down with Members of Provincial Parliament to discuss ways to enhance the system of care for individuals living with a mental health and addictions issue.