Carleton’s Student Mental Health Advocacy Collective (SMHAC), along with the Student Alliance for Mental Health (SAMH) is petitioning the government to re-commit to a single National Health Accord, using the hashtag #Fight4Health.
Greg Owens, president of SAMH, said the petition aims to provide adequate funding to meet the growing need for mental health care.
“The purpose of the petition is a call on the federal government to reinstate a national health accord, and reverse the slashes to growth in funding of health care to each province and territory,” Owens said.
In 2004, the Health Accord was projected to improve patient care in Canada with a $41 billion injection over a decade, in a legal agreement between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, according to a CBC article. The 10-year plan would boost federal health transfers to six per cent each year.
In 2011, the Conservative government extended the six per cent healthcare boost to April 1, 2017, but said the transfer would reduce after that to an annual minimum rise of three per cent.
“There is no Health Accord deal with the federal government right now,” Owens said. “This has created variances in the level of growth of healthcare across the country, and offered particular provinces better deals than others.”
SMHAC said in their petition that the recent Health Accord deal proposed by the federal government puts the Canadian healthcare system at risk by offering an unacceptable reduction in overall funding. Owens said the current healthcare strategy fails marginalized Canadians, especially those in low-income communities.
Rebecca Gilman, media relations advisor at Health Canada, said in an email that the government was not previously aware of the #Fight4Health campaign, but that Canadians spend more on health care than many other countries and get less for their money.
Despite the issues identified with the Health Accord, she said some provinces have been willing to work with the government on it.
“We remain open to working with willing jurisdictions to deliver on these important investments, and to transform and strengthen health care for all Canadians,” Gilman said.
Jasmine Moreau, SMHAC public relations assistant, said for Carleton students specifically, the biggest concern is how a cut to healthcare funding will reduce the mental health care services available to students.
“There are already wait times of three months or more to see mental health professionals on campus, and the services available are limited,” she said.
Nicole DiBaggio, health promotion co-ordinator at Carleton, said students will not be as directly affected by the changes in Canada’s healthcare system, but that everyone, including Carleton students, would benefit from increased mental health care funding.
“With . . . mental health becoming less of a lonely or silent illness, we see an increase in the number of individuals seeking support,” DiBaggio said. “However, there is just not enough support to supply the demand, or, there is enough support, just at a high cost. It all comes back to funding and accessibility.”
Other individuals and groups across Canada took part in the SMHAC campaign, including New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Nikki Ashton, who tweeted, “It’s time to stop Harper’s healthcare plan under this Liberal govt & invest in a National Health Accord #Fight4Health.”
– Photo by Angela Tilley
