10/12/2015
Federal Election 2015: Questions for Candidates
Election Day is coming up on October 19th. In an effort to raise psychology-related issues with the candidates, the APNS Advocacy Committee contacted all the candidates in the 11 Nova Scotia ridings. We encourage you to review their responses.
We asked them their opinion on 4 questions and provided them with 2 information documents: Psychology in Nova Scotia and Access to Psychological Services. These documents can be found here:
http://apns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Psychology-in-Nova-Scotia-2014.pdf
http://apns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Access-to-Psychological-Services-2014.pdf
The questions:
How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
10 candidates responded:
Bill Casey, Liberal, Cumberland-Colchester
Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton -Canso
Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova
Alex Godbold, NDP, South Shore-St Margaret’s
Joanne Hussey, NDP, Halifax West
Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore-St Margaret’s
Ross Landry, NDP, Central Nova
Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax
Thomas Trappenberg, Green, Halifax
Clark Walton, Green, West Nova
The Responses:
Bill Casey, Liberal, Cumberland-Colchester
1. How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
Too many Canadians struggle with mental illness – depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and many others. These are ailments that don’t show up in an X-ray and are too easily dismissed as weakness. Everybody – our youth, our co-workers, our parents, our veterans, our Aboriginal populations – is touched by mental illness, through the human and economic impacts.
2. What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
A Liberal government will establish a national expert advisory panel on mental health and will work with the provincial, territorial and First Nations governments to implement and fund the 6 strategic directions of the Mental Health Commission of Canada report, Changing Directions, Changing Lives.
3. What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
Mental health services are integral to the overall healthcare system, just as mental health is integral to an individual’s overall health and wellbeing. As a recognized and regulated health profession, psychological services are an important part of health care services.
4. Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
As part of a Liberal government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, adequate funding for data collection, research and knowledge exchange will be a priority. More broadly, a Liberal government will make needed investments in basic science research across disciplines, which has been neglected during the past decade.
Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton-Canso
[Acknowledged the receipt of the e-mail but did not provide any specific response.]
Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova
Thank you for your questions about psychological services. Today the Liberal plan for Investing in Health and Homecare was released. We advocate a patient-centered approach. It will include initiatives that help healthcare providers collaborate in order to deliver the best care possible. Psychologists play a key role in treating and preventing mental illness, providing an essential part of the care plan. Without psychologists people would not have the tools needed to understand, change and manage behavior.
We will work with our provincial and territorial partners to negotiate a new Health Accord. We want to address over-prescribing of medications and harmful, adverse drug reactions. Prescription medications are necessary and effective. However, access to non-pharmaceutical, effective treatments for a wide range of illnesses and conditions is just as important. Physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists - these are just a few of the medical practitioners on an effective mental health care team..
We propose to increase the availability of high-quality mental health services for all Canadians. We will establish a pan-Canadian Expert Advisory Panel on Mental Health. This panel will, among other things, advise on the implementation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada's recommendations. We want to change how healthcare is delivered in this country, with a focus on prevention and with more services delivered in the community and at home.
Research is important in all areas of health. A Liberal government will return to evidence-based decision making. We will ask for the input and expertise of Canadians who are on the front lines. We will devote a fixed percentage of program funds to experiment with innovative approaches to existing problems. We will measure results and work to continuously improve the effectiveness of services and how we deliver them. This will require research in all areas of healthcare.
We appreciate your interest in our platform. We have read the documents that you sent us and will forward them to our policy makers.
Alex Godbold, NDP, South Shore-St Margaret’s
1. How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
Current access to psychological services is sadly limited by the inadequate financial resources of potential clients and the failure to adequately cover mental health services under public health care. Recent cuts to federal health transfers (which the NDP promises to reverse) have made matters worse. Instead of expanding public health care to include mental health services and such other essentials as pharmaceuticals and home care, the federal retreat from health care is going in the opposite direction. Early intervention in mental health care is vital and services for youth are not adequately funded to make this possible, despite the important returns. Since much of the demand for mental health services is handled by family doctors, this represents an additional burden for them, while not necessarily providing the most appropriate treatment for patients.
2. What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
The NDP recognizes the substantial cost of unaddressed mental illness, not just to the individuals involved, but also to the economy. Cost-effectiveness is a strong argument for providing accessible mental health services under the public health care umbrella. New Democrats want to make sure Canadians can get the mental health services they need, wherever they live, and that cost is never a barrier. We support the Mental Health Strategy of Canada, prepared by the Mental Health Commission, including better promotion of mental health, fostering recovery, ensuring access and reducing disparities in treatment, and working with First Nations, Inuit and Metis to address their needs.
We will establish a $100-million Mental Health Innovation Fund for Children and Youth to improve care, contributing $15-million annually for healthcare providers and community mental health associations to implement best practices that reduce wait times and provide appropriate care, and $10-million annually for research and sharing information among healthcare providers across the country.
We will prioritize high-risk populations, including indigenous peoples, Canadians in rural and remote communities and youth transitioning from foster care.
We will work with the provinces to better integrate mental health services into primary care, building on the community-based clinic model.
3. What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
See above. Ideally, psychological services should be integrated with primary care and provided by specialists whose services will be covered as an essential health service under the Canada Health Act. We will work towards that goal.
4. Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
Definitely. The NDP has fought against the cuts to the Granting Councils and will work to reinstate their funding. We are also committed to restoring our research and data collection capacity by emphasizing evidence-based policy, reinstating the long-form census and ending the muzzle the Conservatives have placed on publicly funded researchers.
I trust you will find these responses indicative of a supportive approach to enhancing mental health services and accessibility to those services for all Canadians.
Joanne Hussey, NDP, Halifax West
Thank you very much for your email. I apologize for not having more time to respond. I personally feel very strongly about the need to improve mental health services and access to psychological services. More information on the position of the NDP is available in this document. [For easier access this has been posted on the APNS website]:http://apns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mulcair-Responds-to-CPA.pdf
Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore-St Margaret’s
1. How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
The first thing that comes to mind is “limited”. Mental health and psychological services still do not seem to be considered in the same class of importance as physical health services. We still have a very two-tiered system, with those with access to psychological services through their work health plans having a much better chance at quality access to care than those without these.
My sense is that we are still dealing with a crisis-response model in a lot of cases. Publicly-funded psychological services tend to serve those who desperately need immediate care. Obviously this is a very important part of our health system, but principles of maintaining good mental health or dealing with issues before they become crises is also a very important component which we are not covering as well right now.
2. What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
The Liberal party commitments to psychological services and mental health include implementing an integrated approach to ensure access to acute services, tertiary care referrals, housing, primary care, and community and multidisciplinary team management. We will establish a pan-Canadian Expert Advisory Council on Mental Health, particularly to advise on the implementation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s recommendations. We will create new centres of excellence that will specialize in mental health, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and related issues for both veterans and first responders. The Liberal party is also favouring a harm-reduction approach to mental health services.
In general, as the federal government does not deliver health care services- this is the provincial jurisdiction. A Liberal government is strongly committed to renegotiate a new Health Accord so that provinces can engage in long-term planning for building their health care systems and improving the quality of life of citizens.
3. What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
Psychological and mental health services should play an important role in the overall healthcare system. Many Canadians suffering from mental illness every year- which affects their quality of life, impacting their families and communities as well as reducing economic prosperity of the country. Liberals and myself strongly favour a multi-disciplinary health team approach as most of these issues are complex and often systemic.
Again, although the Federal government does not deliver health care services to the general population directly, making sure that provinces have a sense of resource flow for years to come will help them plan more comprehensively. Negotiating a new Health Accord is a strong priority of mine and the Liberal party for this reason.
4. Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
Liberals believe in the ability of government to be a force for good in society and understand that investments in research, technology and innovation are investments in Canada’s future. We will work with provinces and territories to overcome obstacles to innovation in health care delivery and to disseminate and scale up successful new practices. This includes supporting initiatives that help health care providers collaborate, across Canada, to ensure the most appropriate and effective treatments and practices for their patients. By using the best available evidence, governments can increasingly work together to support front-line health providers as they deliver high-quality and effective care to Canadians.
This builds on broader research commitments of the party. We have committed that a Liberal government will rebuild the federal government’s capacity to deliver on evidence-based decision-making and reinvesting in the federal government’s science and research capacity. We are also committed to providing Canadians with the government-collected data needed to spur innovation and research. We will also restore the mandatory long-form census and make Statistics Canada fully independent, with a mandate to collect data needed by the private sector, other orders of government, not-for-profits, and researchers. Moreover, we will create a Chief Science Officer whose mandate would include ensuring that federal government science is freely available to the public and that government scientists are able to speak freely about their work.
Thank you again for this opportunity to comment and I look forward to working with you more on this important issue if I am elected MP.
Ross Landry, NDP, Central Nova
1. How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
Canadians need better access to psychological services. More than 6.7 million Canadians are currently living with a mental illness or a mental health problem. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, nearly 1.5 million Canadians under the age of 24 that are affected by mental illness are not receiving access to appropriate support, treatment or care. Yet the Conservatives have ignored important issues like mental health. Three years after the Mental Health Commission created a Mental Health Strategy for Canada, Conservatives have done nothing to implement it. The economic cost of mental illness is at least $50 billion annually, including $6 billion in lost productivity.
2. What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
New Democrats recognize the importance of ensuring that Canadians who are living with mental illness have access to the supports they need. We remain committed to working with the provinces, First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments to implement a mental health strategy in line with the recommendations from the Mental Health Commission of Canada. We want to see real leadership on mental health. Leadership that involves: working with communities to fight stigma and foster recovery, ensuring better access to treatment, and reducing the disparities in supports and services across the country.
Addressing mental health issues early in life is critical for families and our healthcare system: helping just one child with mental illness can vastly improve quality of life for that child and their family. Tom Mulcair and the NDP will work with the provinces and territories to improve access to mental health care services for children and youth. The NDP will establish a $100 million Mental Health Innovation Fund for Children and Youth to improve care for children and youth. This four-year fund will contribute: $15 million annually for healthcare providers and community mental health associations to implement best practices that reduce wait times and provide appropriate care, $10 million annually for research and sharing information among healthcare providers across the country. The NDP will also work with the provinces, to ensure this Fund will prioritize high-risk populations, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis, Canadians in rural and remote communities, and youth transitioning out of foster care.
3. What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
Psychological services should be an iatrical part of the healthcare system. The NDP is committed to working with the provinces and territories to better integrate mental health services into primary care, building on the community-based clinic model.
4. Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
Innovation is a critical driver of growth in the knowledge economy. At the heart of that innovation are the people, the companies and the institutions that foster innovation, growth and prosperity. The Universities that produce world-class research, serve as important anchors in communities across the country and train students to become the next generation of thinkers. Colleges and Polytechnics play a critical role in filling skills and knowledge gaps by ensuring that students get hands-on experience bringing their skills to bear on industry problems. Last but not least our
professors, instructors, researchers and students are all innovation trailblazers in their own way. We must invest to leverage the strengths of all these important actors
Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax
1. How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
Canadians need better access to psychological services. More than 6.7 million Canadians are currently living with a mental illness or a mental health problem. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, nearly 1.5 million Canadians under the age of 24 that are affected by mental illness are not receiving access to appropriate support, treatment or care. Yet the Conservatives have ignored important issues like mental health. Three years after the Mental Health Commission created a Mental Health Strategy for Canada, Conservatives have done nothing to implement it. The economic cost of mental illness is at least $50 billion annually, including $6 billion in lost productivity.
2. What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
New Democrats recognize the importance of ensuring that Canadians who are living with mental illness have access to the supports they need. We remain committed to working with the provinces, First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments to implement a mental health strategy in line with the recommendations from the Mental Health Commission of Canada. We want to see real leadership on mental health. Leadership that involves: working with communities to fight stigma and foster recovery, ensuring better access to treatment, and reducing the disparities in supports and services across the country.
Addressing mental health issues early in life is critical for families and our healthcare system: helping just one child with mental illness can vastly improve quality of life for that child and their family. Tom Mulcair and the NDP will work with the provinces and territories to improve access to mental health care services for children and youth. The NDP will establish a $100 million Mental Health Innovation Fund for Children and Youth to improve care for children and youth. This four-year fund will contribute: $15 million annually for healthcare providers and community mental health associations to implement best practices that reduce wait times and provide appropriate care, $10 million annually for research and sharing information among healthcare providers across the country. The NDP will also work with the provinces, to ensure this Fund will prioritize high-risk populations, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis, Canadians in rural and remote communities, and youth transitioning out of foster care.
3. What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
Psychological services should be an iatrical part of the healthcare system. The NDP is committed to working with the provinces and territories to better integrate mental health services into primary care, building on the community-based clinic model.
4. Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
Innovation is a critical driver of growth in the knowledge economy. At the heart of that innovation are the people, the companies and the institutions that foster innovation, growth and prosperity. The Universities that produce world-class research, serve as important anchors in communities across the country and train students to become the next generation of thinkers. Colleges and Polytechnics play a critical role in filling skills and knowledge gaps by ensuring that students get hands-on experience bringing their skills to bear on industry problems. Last but not least our professors, instructors, researchers and students are all innovation trailblazers in their own way. We must invest to leverage the strengths of all these important actors.
Thomas Trappenberg, Green, Halifax
Thank you for asking about psychological services. As you might know, I am a scientist and my main research interest is understanding brain functions, and I think we still have a lot to learn. Even more urgent, I believe that mental illnesses and developmental conditions are still not enough recognized and really underlay many problems in our society. This is hence dear to my heart.
There is so much we can do. On a personal perspective we need to strengthen science in this area, of course with some more funding, but also with trusting more in scientists to let them research where they see possible progress. Our science is now too much directed by bureaucrats.
I am also happy that the Green Party has made mental health an integral component of our platform. As an example, in our Vision Green document we state:
2.Increase transfer funding for non-institutionalized mental health patients including children and youth to provide adequate community-based support and outpatient and inpatient care by mental health practitioners, including in rural Canada where lack of facilities and trained professionals is acute;
3.Support a public health initiative to reduce the use of psychoactive drugs through better rehabilitation and prevention programs, especially for children;
4.Provide increased funding for a robust comprehensive mental health strategy for all Canadians in need;
5.Require greater involvement of people dealing with personal mental health problems in research planning, policy development, program evaluation, and other decisions that affect their lives and communities.
With regards to your specific questions (very briefly)
1. How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
Insufficient
2. What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
I believe there is a lot to do, from education to improved funding.
3. What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
We know that mental health issues underlay many systemic problems in our society, and this is an area that need major improvement. Indeed we know that we are in for a major urgency with the aging population, but I also think that environmental conditions will increase mental health issues in our youth.
4. Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
Yes, of course. And as mentioned before, even the exciting funding could go much further if it would not only be used to fund companies.
Clark Walton, Green, West Nova
1. How would you describe Canadians' current access to psychological services?
Limited to extreme cases and those with means ( insurance or sufficient income).
2. What would your party do as the government to improve access to psychological services?
I would expand the Employee Assistance program ( EAP ) that is accessible to government employees so that everyone has the ability to call and receive an appointment within a day and the appointment would be within a month, depending on priority. Those with suicidal thoughts should receive highest priority. The entire medical system needs more support from Provincial and Federal governments so that everyone receives the help they need.
I have been informed that Nova Scotia's su***de prevention is lacking. Nurses meet and evaluate, possibly sending a patient to a social worker when neither has the training needed. Our nurses and social workers are understaffed and over tasked, yet training in this and other areas would create a specific staff to meet the need and share some of the workload and improve services. Currently only a psychologist and a few with specific training are able to properly assess those with suicidal thoughts.
Another issue is recognition of immigrants with medical or professional training. To begin, I believe anyone coming from a Commonwealth country should have a very easy transfer of their credentials, while other countries would require a deeper verification of training, but should none the less be able to attain it and work in their field of training within a reasonable time.
3. What role do you think psychological services should play in the overall healthcare system?
Psychological services are an integral part and needs to go beyond the stigma that cause some to avoid help and become a more accessible part of the health system.
4. Given that national research funding has been cut for psychological research, do you favour restoring or providing an increase in national funding for psychological research?
I would work to reinstate the funding for research that the current government has cut. By using a research grant process funding would be on an application basis and coordination of similar studies could be compared or adjusted to work together, depending on the applicability.
