Open Letter to Prime Minister Carney on the Urgent Need for a National Suicide Prevention Strategy

2 June 2026

Rt. Hon. Mark Carney PC OC MP
Prime Minister of Canada

Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
pm@pm.gc.ca | mark.carney@parl.gc.ca

cc’d:
Jake Sawatzky MP, Member of Parliament for New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville
Hon. Rachel Bendayan PC MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Hon. Kody Blois PC MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Hon. Marjorie Michel PC MP, Minister of Health
Hon. Anna Gainey PC MP, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)
Maggie Chi MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health
All Provincial and Territorial Premiers and Ministers of Heath

Re: Hope Can’t Wait: The Urgent Need for a National Suicide Prevention Strategy

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

I am writing to you today as a Canadian, as a mental health advocate with lived experience, and as someone who has spent the last 7 years listening to the stories of individuals, families, healthcare professionals, and communities affected by suicide. Through my advocacy work born from my lived experiences, I have witnessed both the resilience of Canadians and the consequences of a system that too often struggles to provide timely, accessible, and coordinated support for people experiencing mental health challenges and suicidal crises.

Suicide remains one of the most significant and preventable public health challenges currently facing our country. Every year, thousands of Canadians are affected by suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal thoughts. Every loss leaves behind families, friends, classmates, coworkers, and entire communities whose lives are forever changed. The effects extend far beyond the individual, creating grief, trauma, and lasting impacts that can affect generations.

These people lost are not merely statistics. They are our neighbours, our colleagues, our children, our parents, and our friends. They are people who deserve access to support, connection, hope, and opportunities for recovery.

Over the past several years, past Canadian governments have taken meaningful steps toward improving suicide prevention and mental health support for people coast to coast to coast. The implementation of the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline was a landmark achievement that has saved and supported thousands since its launch in November 2023. The release of the National Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024–2027 signalled a renewed commitment to addressing suicide as a public health priority. Investments in community-based mental health programs, Indigenous mental wellness initiatives, and youth mental health supports have all helped strengthen the foundation upon which future progress can be built.

These accomplishments and investments make a true impact on the lives of Canadians and deserve recognition.

However, while these initiatives represent important progress, they are not the finish line. They are the foundation for what must become a larger and more coordinated national effort to reduce suicide and strengthen mental health support across Canada for everyone.

Since 2020, a year following my own attempts, I have called for the creation of a National Suicide Prevention Strategy because I believe Canada can and must do better. In my 2022 (2023) and 2024 Mental Health Calls of Action for the federal government, I noted that while Canada had frameworks, recommendations, and individual initiatives, it still lacked a fully operational and accountable national strategy dedicated to reducing suicide and supporting those affected by it.

Today, that call remains as important as ever.

Across Canada, too many people continue to face barriers when seeking help. Long wait times, workforce shortages, geographic inequities, financial barriers, and fragmented systems leave many Canadians struggling to access support when they need it most. For some, particularly those living in rural, northern, and remote communities, services may be hundreds of kilometres away. For others, the cost of therapy or counselling remains prohibitive. Families are often forced to navigate a complex patchwork of services while trying to support loved ones through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Young people continue to face growing mental health challenges. Mental health concerns often begin during childhood and adolescence, yet access to care remains inconsistent across the country. Many students report experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness, and psychological distress. While these challenges can be serious, early intervention, access to care, supportive relationships, and community-based services can make a meaningful difference in helping young people thrive.

Indigenous communities continue to experience disproportionately high rates of suicide, shaped by generations of colonialism, inter-generational trauma, systemic inequities, and barriers to culturally appropriate care. Members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community continue to face elevated risks of suicide, self-harm, and mental illness while navigating discrimination, stigma, and social exclusion. Frontline workers, first responders, veterans, healthcare professionals, construction workers, and others working in high-stress environments face unique mental health challenges that require targeted support and intervention.

The reality is that suicide affects every region, every demographic, and every community in Canada.

A truly national response must reflect that reality.

Canada needs a National Suicide Prevention Strategy that moves beyond recommendations and establishes measurable goals, clear accountability mechanisms, sustainable and permanent funding commitments, and coordinated action across all levels of government. We need a strategy that brings together federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, Indigenous, healthcare, educational, workplace, and community partners under a shared vision for saving lives.

Such a strategy should strengthen data collection and reporting so that governments and communities can better understand emerging trends and direct resources where they are needed most. It should establish national standards for prevention, intervention, crisis response, follow-up care, and postvention support for those affected by suicide. It should prioritize public education and stigma reduction so that seeking help becomes as accepted as seeking treatment for any other health concern.

Most importantly, a national strategy should be grounded in hope, recovery, and prevention. It should recognize that suicidal crises are often temporary and that timely support, effective treatment, and strong social connections can help people move through periods of distress and build meaningful futures.

In my own advocacy, I have met individuals who once struggled to imagine a future for themselves but later found support, recovery, and renewed purpose. I have listened to families navigating profound loss, and I have spoken with healthcare professionals who continue to work tirelessly despite increasing pressures and growing demand for their needs. I have seen communities come together to support one another, promote mental wellness, and advocate for change. These experiences have reinforced my belief that suicide prevention is not simply a healthcare issue but it is a societal responsibility.

There is something that we can all do to ensure a reduction in suicide in our communities, cities, provinces, and country.

It is about creating communities where people feel connected, supported, and valued. It is about ensuring that help is available before a crisis occurs, not only after one has already begun. It is about recognizing that mental health is inseparable from housing, employment, education, social connection, community belonging, and economic security.

Most of all, it is about ensuring that every Canadian knows that support is available, that recovery is possible, and that no one has to face a mental health crisis alone.

Prime Minister Carney, Canada has the knowledge, expertise, and capacity to become a world leader in suicide prevention. We have dedicated researchers, frontline workers, community organizations, advocates, and people with lived experience who are ready to contribute to meaningful change. We have already demonstrated through the creation of 9-8-8 and the National Suicide Prevention Action Plan that progress is possible when governments act with purpose and urgency.

Now is the time to build upon that foundation.

I urge your government to commit to the development and implementation of a comprehensive National Suicide Prevention Strategy. A strategy that is fully funded, measurable, accountable, evidence-based, and built to endure beyond election cycles. A strategy that recognizes the complexity of suicide, addresses disparities experienced by vulnerable populations, strengthens protective factors, and places the preservation of life and well-being at the centre of public policy.

Every life lost to suicide is one too many.

Every life supported represents hope strengthened, a future preserved, and a community made stronger.

The Canadians we have lost deserve our remembrance. The Canadians who are struggling today deserve our action. And future generations deserve a country willing to confront this challenge with compassion, courage, and determination.

Hope can’t wait. Someone answered the call for me - it’s time the federal government acts and does the same for other Canadians.

I hope your government will seize this opportunity to create lasting change and make Canada a nation where suicide prevention, mental wellness, and access to support are enduring national priorities.

For Canadians coast to coast to coast, I encourage you to add your name to the calls for a national strategy by visiting hopecantwait.ca.

Sincerely,

[signed in original]

JOSHUA BELL
Community Leader & Mental Health Advocate
King Charles III Coronation Medal
josh@joshuamjbell.ca

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Related: Hope Can't Wait Campaign