Thank you for starting this discussion, Bill, and for sharing that poignant and heart-wrenching letter.
I truly believe that there is a hidden but intrinsic connection between political will and the stigma that surrounds mental illness. The various anti-stigma campaigns in existence now and in the past, Bell Lets Talk, We all Belong, Emerging into Light, etc., all have one thing in common: the message of inclusion within society. Political will can be spurred by the desire to "save"or "help" the "unfortunates" of society but true paradigm shifts only really occur with the realization that the change will impact everyone in a positive way.
Even if we use the old stats of 1 in 5 Canadians, it still means there is not a person in Canada who does not know and probably care about someone living with a mental illness and/or addiction. As long as politicians and change-makers continue to see this as "helping others", none of the changes will last longer than the flavours of the month/political party/election campaign in which they are touted. We need to, for want of a better term, "normalize" Mental Illness and Addictions so that we speak of them as we would any other illness that challenges our lives. We need to get our leaders and politicians to be comfortable sharing their personal experiences and challenges without fearing judgement and reprisals from the voters.
I have lived with Mental Illness for most of my life and loved and lost a mother who also lived with one. Currently, I have a daughter who is trying to face her own challenges head-on within an academic world that spouts acceptance and understanding while limiting services because of the way resources are prioritized. I have worked in Mental Health for 25 years and have reached a saturation point with the rhetorical tautology of our service systems. If we took even a portion of the money we spend on research, campaigns, planning and platitudes and put it toward giving immediate service to people at the time they need it, we could save so many resources that are now used for crises, emergencies and often, sadly, apologies.
Jaded as I am, I still really want to believe that when my daughter reaches my current age, she will live in a world that offers services that are accepting, accessible, affordable and effective. In the meantime, I will continue to voice, argue, advocate and pressure in whatever way I can and I am so glad there are so many others out there that are willing to do the same.