Vice Chair of CMHA Ottawa Board of Directors attends Senate roundtable on mental health

Oct 23, 2024

Above, from left: Lynne Vail, Vice Chair, CMHA Ottawa; Senator Sharon Burey; Margaret Eaton, CEO, CMHA National; Sarah Kennell, Director, Public Policy, CMHA National.

Long-standing peer advocate Lynne Vail shares voice of lived experience at discussion exploring the lack of parity between care for mental and physical health in Canada

Last month, the new vice chair of our esteemed Board of Directors, Lynne Vail, attended a roundtable at the Senate of Canada on the state of mental health, substance use, and addictions care in the country. Held Friday, Sept. 20, the Mental Health and Substance Use Senate Roundtable followed an inquiry launched by Senator Sharon Burey investigating the lack of parity in funding between mental and physical health care in Canada.

As a former client of CMHA Ottawa and an accomplished peer advocate, Lynne brought the voice of lived experience to the discussion and demonstrated the emerging role of peers in improving care. Among the 15 influential delegates in attendance were Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Senator Stan Kutcher, a psychiatrist and dedicated mental health leader within the upper house, CMHA National CEO, Margaret Eaton, moderator Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health for Eastern Ontario, and other leaders and advocates from various sectors.

By participating in the discussion, Lynne explained the gaps in service she experienced when navigating the healthcare system for chronic mental health concerns, and more importantly, the critical role of community-based care in her recovery—the life-saving services she received at CMHA Ottawa.

In sharing her story, Lynne helped crystallize the resounding belief among the others in attendance that for care to improve, funding for mental health care must be on par with that of physical health.

We would like to thank Senator Burey for ensuring the inclusion of the voice of lived experience in influencing meaningful systems change. We would also like to thank our colleagues at CMHA National, Margaret Eaton, CEO, and Sarah Kennell, Director of Public Policy, for leading sector discussions to realize the vision of universal mental health care for all. Thanks also to SM Leduc, CMHA National’s Government Relations Advisor, for bringing us this opportunity.

To read about Margaret Eaton’s experience at the roundtable, and to learn more about CMHA’s position on the need for parity in Canada’s healthcare funding—including amendments to the Canada Health Act—click here.

COMING SOON: Lynne Vail’s inspiring story of going from a service user at CMHA Ottawa to helping to establish its Peer Engagement Advisory Council—and ultimately becoming vice chair of its Board of Directors—stay tuned.

At CMHA Ottawa, we are delighted to have Lynne’s valued perspective as Vice Chair at the Board of Directors table. Thank you, Lynne.

The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ottawa Branch (CMHA Ottawa), is an independent, community-based non-profit organization that provides services for eligible individuals in the Ottawa area with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance use disorder, many of whom are experiencing chronic homelessness or are vulnerably housed. CMHA Ottawa is dedicated to promoting good mental health, developing and implementing sustainable support systems and services, and encouraging public action to strengthen community mental health services and related policies and legislation.

For media inquiries:
Patrick Jodoin, Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
CMHA Ottawa
613-737-7791 ext. 135 [email protected]