• There are approximately 165,000 new cases of brain injury annually in Canada;

• Health and community service providers require more education regarding the intersection of brain injury, mental health, and addiction;

• For every NHL player who suffers a concussion in sport, more than 5,500 Canadian women sustain the same injury from domestic violence;

• There were 21,824 opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations resulting in hypoxic brain injury between January 2016 and June 2020 in Canada;

• An estimated 60% of brain injury survivors suffer from anxiety and/or depression;

• The risk of suicide increases by 400% for a survivor of brain injury;

• Brain injury survivors face a 200% increased risk of struggling with addictions after sustaining a brain injury;

• Despite the federal government committing $11 billion over ten years to improve community support and mental health and/or addiction services, none are specifically targeted to brain injury;

• Indigenous, racialized, and marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by brain injury and face additional barriers to care, rehabilitation, and justice;

• Brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and contributes significantly to the burden on Canada’s health, social, and justice systems; and

• Survivors and families are often left to navigate fragmented systems with little to no support, leading to further deterioration in health, housing, and economic stability.

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to to support Bill C-206 to develop a national strategy to support and improve brain injury awareness, prevention, and treatment, as well as the rehabilitation and recovery of persons living with a brain injury.