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/ Canadian Government Executive
// December 2016
Marcello
Sukhdeo
M
ental health problems are in-
creasingly recognized today.
By some calculations, one in
five Canadians will experi-
ence a mental health problem or illness in
any given year. Among those that are af-
fected, two out of three who should receive
mental health services or treatment choose
not to seek it, according to theMental Health
Commission of Canada. The stigma associ-
atedwithmental illness is seen as a badge of
shame. To eliminate this reputation and pro-
vide support to employees, the Government
of Canada has established a framework to
address mental health in the workplace.
Employment and Social Development
Canada (ESDC) first recognized the need
for an all-encompassing wellness plan
to prevent illness and promote healthy
workplace practices in April 2014. Al-
though at that time there were a number
of existing programs and services that
supported mental health in the work-
place, there was no integrated Govern-
ment of Canada approach to address it
within the departments.
That summer, ESDC began to lay the
Mental Health
Leading the Fight
Against Depression
in the Workplace
groundwork by working closely with the
Policy Health and Safety Committee and
other key stakeholders to research and
develop a Mental Health Framework for
the department. Forums to share stories
on mental health in the workplace that
included employees and the management,
along with union representatives, were or-
ganized.
It proved to be a well-received initiative
and to carry it further, senior manage-
ment made a decision to identify a Mental
Health Champion (at the Assistant Deputy
Minister level). It envisioned this person as
acting with the mandate to lead a group of
employees, at different levels, to develop
an innovative and comprehensive work-
place wellness plan. The hope was that it
would offer concrete actions to support
employees and strengthen workplace pro-
grams and practices.
Ms. Sara Filbee, the Assistant Deputy
Minister for the Atlantic Canada Region,
was asked to lead the team. It would in-
clude a wide cross-section of managers,
employees, and human resources profes-
sionals and it quickly went to work. Ac-