Moving Forward Together:

Stakeholder perspectives on the priorities of The Mental Health Commission of Canada


From a report produced by the Mental Health Commission of Canada:

Introduction

Since its inception, the Mental Health Commission of Canada has been committed to working together with the many Canadians who care about mental health and mental illness. One of the first tasks we set for ourselves was to begin the process of building or strengthening stakeholder relationships. This report describes the results of a series of stakeholder consultations that kicked off this process.

Between October 9 and October 17, 2007, seven meetings were held in six cities across Canada: Toronto (two meetings), Saint John NB, Halifax, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg. These meetings were considered a first step in a broader initiative that will see the Mental Health Commission regularly reach out to stakeholders across the country. The resulting ongoing conversation will provide critical input to help guide our work.

Key informants in every city helped us identify possible participants from local groups and organizations, and approximately 75 people were invited to each meeting. Although we recognized that the invitees for this first round of meetings represented just a small sampling of stakeholders, every attempt was made to hear as wide a range of views from the field as possible.

Invited participants included:

• people who have experienced mental illness
• their family members
• formal service providers
• hospital personnel
• community groups
• regional planning bodies
• government
• police
  

These participants also represented different life stages, ethnocultural groups, Aboriginal communities, as well as a variety of perspectives.

Each invitee was given the opportunity to submit a short brief. Six to eight participating groups were also invited to present the main points of their brief in person at the meeting, in order to stimulate dialogue and lead into the discussion. The briefs were structured around two questions, framed within the context of the Commission’s three key initiatives: development of an anti-stigma program, a Knowledge Exchange Centre and a National Mental Health Strategy.

The questions are:

• What would you like to see the Commission accomplish over the next three years?
• How could your organization help the Commission and the mental health community to achieve these objectives?
  

The written briefs and face-to-face discussions in response to these questions provided us with a rich base of information. There were many consistent messages, but there were also distinct themes unique to each meeting, and some challenging divergent perspectives on issues and priorities. What came through clearly across all the meetings were a strong sense of optimism about the potential impact of the Commission, and enthusiasm for working with us to help achieve our common goals.

Preparation of this report involved taking all the data from the oral record and written briefs in all seven consultations, identifying common themes and categories and distilling the information into a coherent summary. Most points included represent the views of a number of participants; the source is identified for some very specific suggestions. The goal was to capture the most consistent messages in regard to the Commission’s three priority areas and its work in general, while retaining the integrity of the complete record as much as possible.

Despite best efforts, the process of clustering and distilling information meant that some discrete points, and many details, are not included. It is also important to note that the results reflect the participant mix in the consultations, and are not necessarily representative of stakeholder views in general.

To all of those who participated in this process, we offer our sincere thanks for sharing your valuable time and views. We have been truly impressed by the wisdom and passion behind every point made. Although only a few of these appear in the report exactly as stated or written, they all informed the analysis, and we will be keeping the complete record for ongoing reference.

To those who were not present in this first round of consultations, please stay in touch with us. We remain committed to continuing and expanding the conversation so that the emerging agenda of the Mental Health Commission reflects the interests and needs of its entire constituency across Canada.

Bonnie Pape
On behalf of the Mental Health Commission of Canada

To read the entire report, click here.

To read the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia's October 12th submission to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, click here.