OTTAWA – The federal Minister of Industry has said the country faces growing mental health concerns that the government will need to address in 2021.
Navdeep Bains says he continues to hear stories about the mental health of workers and entrepreneurs alongside appeals for financial aid for individuals and businesses.
The minister said the situation is particularly felt in his riding in the Toronto area which includes Pearson International Airport, where local hotels and restaurants are also suffering from a considerable decrease in travelers.
Mr. Bains told The Canadian Press that he has seen the impact of the pandemic on his own family.
A father of two, Bains says the pandemic has taken a toll on his school-aged daughters, deprived of contact with friends and family.
Research conducted by Statistics Canada during the pandemic showed a sense of declining mental health.
A study by the agency published in June indicated that those most affected by the pandemic – such as women and people with weakened immune systems or chronic health problems – were less likely to report better mental health.
“I’m hearing more and more stories and quite frankly personally I can relate to that,” Bains said of mental health issues.
“It’s an emerging problem not only in my constituency – I suspect it’s across the country as well. But this is clearly a problem we need to address. ”
Another Statistics Canada study released just before Christmas indicates that the measure of “life satisfaction” of Canadians has fallen to its lowest level in two decades of comparable data.
Several Statistics Canada studies this year looked at the mental health effects of the economic and health crisis.
At the federal level, the government has responded to the pandemic with unprecedented spending that swelled the deficit to $ 381.6 billion, although government calculations indicate that it could approach $ 400 billion depending on the length of time. and the extent of the restrictive measures.
Despite all of this spending, Bains hinted that there may be more to be done to help areas at no additional cost.
He noted how companies have accelerated their digital transition while workers have to stay at home. Bains said this required updating legislative and business frameworks around privacy laws.
The diversity
The minister also announced the “50-30 Challenge” just before the end of 2020, which calls for organizations to have 50% women on boards of directors and in senior management.
The federal program also calls for 30% of these positions to be filled by “under-represented groups” such as people of color, people with disabilities and Aboriginal people.
Companies that demonstrate that they have achieved the objective would obtain preferential access to federal programs and possibly federal contracts.
“If you’ve done that, then I firmly believe that you will have better access, you will be treated favorably when it comes to grants and contributions,” Bains said, “and ultimately procurement too, if we want to. go forward”.
Mr. Bains argued that the government’s comprehensive response to the pandemic should help in another battle: that of expertise.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem recently said in a speech that the protectionist policies and attitudes of US President Donald Trump have helped make Canada a more attractive landing point for people with great expertise in the world. over the past four years.
Although Mr. Macklem warned that this advantage could disappear after Joe Biden’s accession to the White House, Mr. Bains believed that Canada’s response to the pandemic could continue to place the country in an advantageous position compared to in the USA.
“There is no doubt that there was this contrast between the policies of the United States in the past and what we did in Canada,” Mr. Bains said. “But it’s important to note that our brand and our policies are stronger than ever.”
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