moved for leave to introduce Bill C-201, An Act to amend the Canada Health Act (mental, addictions and substance use health services).

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to introduce the mental health parity act, which aims to address the disparity between physical and mental health in our public health care system. This is the first private member's bill tabled in the 45th Parliament. It is of great importance.

The bill proposes to amend the Canada Health Act, to expand the definition of insured services to include community-based mental health, addictions and substance use services. As it stands, provincial and territorial health plans are only required to cover mental health, addictions and substance use health services when provided by physicians or in hospitals and deemed medically necessary. As a result, many services, such as counselling or psychotherapy, are not covered under public health insurance plans. The lack of public coverage forces Canadians who are struggling to shoulder significant out-of-pocket costs or go without supports they need.

The legislation would begin to address the financial barriers to mental health and substance use care by creating a federal requirement for provinces and territories to include coverage of community-based supports in their health insurance plans.

I want to thank the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, the Canadian Mental Health Association and all those advocating for mental health parity and spreading the message that mental health matters. I also want to thank my colleague and friend, the member for Vancouver Kingsway, for his important work in this area and for seconding the bill.

I hope all members will get behind this very important piece of legislation.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Gord Johns

$597,018.00