The MP for Cariboo-Prince George says yesterday’s (Monday) announcement that a national three digit suicide hotline will be available on November 30th was bitter-sweet for him.
Todd Doherty, who proposed the 9-8-8 number that was approved back in 2020, questions why it took so long to implement.
“I am happy that we finally have a date, but it took over a thousand days to launch a simple three digit suicide hotline, and we know that it’s estimated that we lose 12 people to suicide each day and a further 175 Canadians attempt it, and those are just estimates because we know that the numbers are likely higher.”
Doherty says he was told that it was a fairly easy process.
“I think that is what is very frustrating for me. Very early on in the process one of the very first calls I made was to the national mental health associations as well as to Canada’s telecom providers, and resoundingly they all said that we could do this very easily and they were ready to go. The telecom providers said we managed to get a COVID hotline up in 60 to 90 days, we can do this, and here we sit at, yesterday it was 955 days since parliament gave government the will of the House to be able to get this done. It just wasn’t a priority I guess, I’m not quite sure.”
Doherty says this is also just the first step.
“Absolutely. I think we need to develop a whole tool chest of resources and services. I think we need to manage to recovery, whether it’s mental health or addictions. I think recovery is always possible and I think, whether it’s this government or hopefully a Conservative government elected in the next election, that we need to be building more treatment facilities, putting in more beds for recovery in our provinces and in our communities, and making sure that when somebody is ready and willing to get help, that help is readily available.”
Doherty says he feels like they are failing Canadians at this point when it comes to mental health and addictions.
“If somebody that is struggling with addiction is finally at that point where they want to go into recovery and there are no beds available. It takes an incredibly long time to get them to a bed for recovery. We seem to be able to perpetuate their addiction, but we can’t get them into a bed.
Doherty says he doesn’t have all the answers but his worry is that we create hope (with the suicide hotline) with little action behind it.
–Files by George Henderson, My Cariboo Now
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