The Blueprint: Canada's Conservative Podcast - Mental Health During the Pandemic

00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome once again to The Blueprint. It is Canada's Conservative Podcast. I'm your

00:00:08.520 host, Jamie Schmael, Member of Parliament for Halliburton, Coeur of the Lakes Broccoli.

00:00:12.040 Thank you very much for joining us. As always, great content, new content, every single Tuesday,

00:00:17.660 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time. We would appreciate if you like, comment, subscribe, share this program,

00:00:24.120 help us push back against the ever-moving Liberal agenda because we just know there's someone in

00:00:28.860 your social media network that would be open to hearing the Conservative message. And we have

00:00:33.260 such an important topic today. I think this appeals to anyone across the country, regardless of how

00:00:38.580 you vote. It's the topic of mental health. So this is something that I think everyone is dealing with

00:00:43.660 in some capacity. So we brought in the Special Advisor to the Leader, Todd Doherty. He's also

00:00:48.440 the Member of Parliament for Caribou Prince George in the beautiful province of British Columbia.

00:00:53.280 Thank you so much for coming on, Mr. Doherty. Thanks, Jamie. It's an honour to be here with you

00:00:58.180 and as always, it's an honour to any time to be able to share a message with our Conservative

00:01:04.980 friends. It's really important. Well, I see people behind you putting a log on the fire. So

00:01:09.780 let's warm up and talk about mental health. Let's first of all talk about the unanimous consent you

00:01:17.840 received in the House of Commons for your motion. We'll get you to talk a bit about it, but also

00:01:21.620 it was a bit of a process to get that through. Yeah. So late last year, in follow-up to

00:01:29.980 the piece of legislation that we were fortunate enough to have passed in our last session,

00:01:37.940 C211, which made Canada the first country in the world to adopt a piece of legislation to combat

00:01:43.520 post-traumatic stress disorder. Our next step was to do whatever we could to remove any barrier

00:01:50.320 for those seeking help when they need it the most. And so early last year, we were

00:01:58.080 made aware of a project to bring a national suicide prevention hotline, an easy three-digit number,

00:02:08.660 a national suicide prevention hotline to Canada. It was called Bring 988 to Canada.

00:02:13.200 Our US counterparts were just in their final, I guess, process of getting it to, getting it passed

00:02:23.600 through their process. And we started the process ourselves in Ottawa to do the same, to bring 988

00:02:34.980 to Canada. So it was a bit of a long process to do. We had to make sure that, well, we had our ducks in a row

00:02:42.060 and we had to make sure that we had all of our colleagues across all party lines, you know, on side

00:02:48.380 with this. You know, studies have shown whether it's 911 or even 411, when you need help, trying to

00:02:55.900 remember an easy three-digit number is obviously much more readily accessible and easier to do than

00:03:03.580 than a complicated 10-digit number. And in truth, Jamie, when minutes matter

00:03:15.020 the most, we want to make sure that we are breaking down every barrier for those that are, you know,

00:03:21.980 at that point where they want to seek help. And so December 13th of this past year, in 2020,

00:03:28.700 all parliamentarians stood and unanimously supported bringing 988 to Canada, the motion that we had

00:03:37.580 put before the House. And, you know, it's, we've met a number of times with the Minister of Health,

00:03:44.060 Patty Hajdu. We have in 2021 as well, too. It still remains in her court right now. We know that the CRTC

00:03:52.540 is adopting it or is looking at it, but it's not moving fast enough. And we know that COVID has

00:03:58.220 exasperated and really shone the light on the mental health crisis that was in our country previously,

00:04:04.620 but now more than ever due to increased isolation and anxiety, that we really seriously have a real mental

00:04:15.260 health crisis on our hands and one that is going to be critical to be looked at if we're planning a

00:04:23.980 recovery for our nation. Absolutely. I think even a quick Google search pulls up article after article.

00:04:29.660 I just printed two off here that I see December 3rd, 2020, Canadian Mental Health Association produced

00:04:36.780 a report co-authored by the University of British Columbia specifically on that basically saying mental

00:04:43.020 health in Canadians is eroding. There's another one as recently as Thursday, January 14th, 2021,

00:04:49.020 CTV news, Canadians reporting more anxiety and depression than ever before, according to a new

00:04:54.060 poll. And it goes on and on and on. And as you said, before the pandemic, this was an issue. It's an issue

00:04:58.700 even more so now. And I think that's why us as a party and our leader, Erin O'Toole, specifically

00:05:05.500 added mental health to some of the top five priorities we're looking at going forward.

00:05:09.500 Yeah, it's so important to have a true mental health plan, a mental health action plan. And I'm so

00:05:16.300 honored that the leader chose me to be a special advisor. But moreover, that I know he's just as

00:05:24.700 passionate as I am in terms of mental health and championing action, real action. Our leader started

00:05:33.580 the true patriot love foundation that supports veterans and first responder families. And when

00:05:40.620 in truth, I'm not even sure if you know this, that when I was just elected in 2015, I knew the

00:05:48.140 background of Erin O'Toole, I knew the background of our leader, and I had approached him regarding my

00:05:53.980 framework that I wanted to, or that I had tabled in terms of C211 and asked for his support. And he

00:06:00.540 really helped me spearhead that through, you know, the different machinations that

00:06:06.780 private members bill takes and helped me guide, or helped guide me through those process to get it to

00:06:13.980 where we finally saw that piece of legislation go through. I think for some Canadians, the arrival,

00:06:20.700 or first of all, news of a vaccine for the COVID pandemic, but also the arrival of some of our

00:06:28.700 vaccine supply, obviously, I think, maybe a topic for another time, the procurement strategy that the

00:06:34.300 federal government used was a horrible disaster. And we've talked to Michael Chung, Garnett Jennings,

00:06:38.700 and many others about the many failures along the way. And there's newspaper articles after newspaper

00:06:43.580 articles. But I think for many, that was kind of the light at the end of the tunnel, thinking the

00:06:48.060 tunnel is getting even even shorter. But even still, our motion last week in the House of

00:06:53.260 Commons by Michelle Rempel-Gardener and others on the Health Committee for the government,

00:06:57.180 the federal government to come up with a plan within 20 days to show us a roadmap to reopening.

00:07:03.260 What does that mean? Can we get rid of finally the horrible quarantine hotels that many people are

00:07:09.340 having to deal with and disaster they are? Does that mean that if you have the vaccine, you do not have

00:07:14.220 to quarantine? Or all this stuff, all these questions Canadians are asking, that all affects mental

00:07:19.580 health as well.

00:07:20.300 Oh, totally. Listen, the last year has been probably one of the hardest in my elected career. You have

00:07:30.300 families that have loved ones that are stranded overseas that MPs have had to work tirelessly to

00:07:36.700 try to repatriate. You have businesses, business owners that have gone through closure, quarantine

00:07:46.380 closure, more quarantine measures, opening, then closing, and then possibly not even being eligible

00:07:55.420 for any relief funds. You've got loved ones that you are unable to see. You've got seniors that are in

00:08:05.580 seniors homes and that are not able to see their loved ones, let alone even hug a loved one.

00:08:13.900 And then you've got children that are not able to see their friends due to schools and what have you.

00:08:21.660 So all we were asking for last week was for the government to show Canadians what their plan was,

00:08:29.180 no different than what we challenged the government with in the early days, what their plan was to

00:08:35.740 secure our borders. And then what their plan was to help those businesses and those out of work

00:08:43.420 employees from those businesses. What was their plan for that? Then we challenged the government in the

00:08:49.580 fall for what their plan was for the vaccines that were coming online. Where was that plan? How many

00:08:57.180 vaccines were going to be made eligible? When were Canadians going to be able to get that? And so the highs

00:09:02.620 and lows and lows and where you build hope and then lose hope, it really plays with the mental health

00:09:09.420 of, well, even our own mental health. Just when you think you're going to be able to help

00:09:21.340 your constituents out and there is that light at the end of the tunnel where

00:09:25.020 the measures are going to be lifted. And, you know, I can tell you as recently as yesterday here in BC,

00:09:33.740 where we went under even further restrictions after having

00:09:42.220 some lesser restrictions and COVID measures in place due to a spike in the numbers, we've had to go

00:09:48.700 back backwards. And so the number of emails, the number of calls, the number of messages that we

00:09:54.860 have where Canadians, where my constituents are just literally at their rope's end. And it really plays

00:10:04.220 on you, plays on our staff even, because they're giving it all. They're working tirelessly 24-7 to

00:10:10.300 help our constituents. And then you think of those families, you think of those school kids that are

00:10:16.700 really facing increased isolation that aren't able to go on those play dates or see their friends. And now

00:10:23.500 all of a sudden they've got to, you know, wear a mask all the time. And yeah, it's just, we are at an

00:10:31.340 unprecedented time within our nation. And we really, truly need a mental health recovery plan, a mental

00:10:38.940 health recovery action plan. And it takes leadership from at the top to work with our provincial

00:10:44.620 counterparts, our national organizations, our grassroots organizations on delivering that.

00:10:49.980 Yeah, I agree. Like, as an observer, I was in the House during most of the debate over that

00:10:57.020 motion. The opposition we got from the Liberals was that, well, some of it infers in provincial

00:11:03.420 jurisdiction or there's interference here, but that's not what the motion was asking. It was asking for

00:11:08.780 a plan for the federal side on the federal government. And I agree with you, a lot of

00:11:15.660 the lockdowns, it's causing mental health. I think the issues we'll see well into the future.

00:11:22.940 We need a plan to give people hope and light at the end of the tunnel that

00:11:27.420 normal is coming back at some point, but this is the steps we need to get to, to get to that normal.

00:11:32.380 Those are the steps we have to take to get to that normal. And unfortunately,

00:11:35.180 the government isn't doing their part in, in tabling a plan at all. It seems like they're

00:11:40.060 making it up as they go, which is why we've seen so many failures along the way.

00:11:44.220 Yeah. And, and listen, crisis management is, um, um, you know, I, I, in my previous career,

00:11:51.900 I was involved in crisis management, crisis preparation. Um, and you know, um,

00:11:56.060 there's always, um, a modicum of, of, uh, you know, you're, you're putting out those fires as,

00:12:03.260 you know, when you're thrust into those crisis, uh, crises, but you have to plan ahead of time.

00:12:09.820 You have to know that sooner or later, the worst could happen. We're in the worst situation than,

00:12:16.700 uh, than we could possibly human humanly, uh, uh, consider, uh, even two or three years ago.

00:12:23.740 But I was part of teams, um, in my previous career that planned for events, just like this global

00:12:29.820 pandemic plan for bio agent events plan for major catastrophes. And that is exact. You're absolutely

00:12:38.940 right. There has to, at one point we are over 400 days into this pandemic. So at some point you would

00:12:46.460 have to say, um, okay, the next 180 days, what does it look like? What, what is our plan as we move

00:12:52.700 forward? What's our forecast for vaccines? What's our forecast for, uh, rates of spread? What, you

00:13:01.100 know, even though, uh, now information regarding variants are changing every day, you have to be

00:13:07.820 able to work with the global, your global colleagues to be able to formulate some plan and to be able to

00:13:13.900 communicate some plan. And I think you're seeing even our provincial counterparts get a little

00:13:19.500 frustrated with our federal government because it's, it's like they're, they're chasing a, you know,

00:13:28.700 uh, chasing a cloud in a storm. It's just, it's going every which way and they have no plan and

00:13:33.660 they really are making up as they go. They keep using the excuses. Well, we're in the, in the heart

00:13:39.020 of a global crisis and things are changing by the minute. Yes, they are. But at one point in crisis

00:13:44.540 management, you have to get your feet underneath you. Uh, you know, my first responders that are

00:13:49.260 listening in, uh, that are hopefully tuning into this, they'll understand that, you know,

00:13:53.900 our firefighters understand when you arrive on a scene, it is a certain, it's a massive crisis on a,

00:14:00.380 on a big fire, but you have to get your feet underneath you. And it's what you, you train and

00:14:05.580 you plan for ahead of time on how you're going to attack what's coming from all sides. Um, and we just

00:14:12.300 haven't seen it with this federal government. Yeah. The numbers from some of these, uh,

00:14:16.220 surveys I'm seeing is quite astounding. It's, it's hard to read actually, in some cases,

00:14:21.260 I think the, the, the main thing, I think we need to be okay. The takeaway here, it's okay to not be

00:14:29.100 okay. I think is, and, and reach out. Although we, I think as humans are, are very social beings. We

00:14:36.140 like the company of others. We like to be around people and socialize. And, and in some cases,

00:14:41.100 it's not always possible. So we have to use whatever we can right now to reach out to others.

00:14:46.940 If you're in need of help. Yeah. You know, Jamie, that's a, um, you, you've heard me say this so

00:14:53.660 many times throughout, throughout the years is, is, um, you know, we live in such a fast paced world.

00:14:59.420 There's always a phone call. There's always a text. There's always something that draws us away from,

00:15:05.980 um, you know, uh, our, our attention away from, you know, focusing on what really,

00:15:11.900 really truly matters. And that's our personal relationships. And so we, we get going a million

00:15:17.340 miles a minute and we forget to look over across the way at our, our colleague or our,

00:15:21.900 our family member or our neighbor, um, and, and just say, are you okay? Um, three simple words,

00:15:29.500 are you okay? And, and then pause and listen. And those three, three simple words can really save a

00:15:37.820 life and it's okay. It's okay. Not to be okay. You know, it's okay to have those feelings, um,

00:15:48.220 that, uh, that you're unwell, um, that, you know, that, you know, things have become a little

00:15:55.740 overwhelming, but what we're asking people to do is take a step back. Uh, and sometimes it's really

00:16:01.780 hard, uh, when you are in that fog or in, you know, surrounded by those trees, you can't see the

00:16:08.780 light and we need people to understand that there are people fighting for them, that they are loved

00:16:14.540 and that it's okay not to be okay. And that there is help out there for them. Everything that we do,

00:16:20.160 um, with every fiber, my, in my, uh, my body and, and every breath that I have is to fight and make

00:16:28.340 sure that, um, those that are suffering know that there's somebody fighting for them and that, um,

00:16:33.840 uh, we'll leave a legacy of action. We have to do that. Absolutely. Todd, I always give,

00:16:40.840 I don't know how else to end it better than that, but I always give my guests the final word.

00:16:46.260 So if, if you want the floor is yours, you know, Jamie, it's, um, we're in, we're in some very trying

00:16:54.380 times and, um, we want people to have hope. We want people to hang on and, um, I'll take you back to,

00:17:03.580 uh, the last time I saw my best friend, um, when we were 14, as you know, my best friend committed

00:17:09.900 suicide. Um, I was the last, last person to see him and, um, I'll take you back to them. And if I

00:17:17.140 could have one chance to speak with them again, and this is my message to those that are out there

00:17:22.900 that are struggling is our world is a better place with you in it. We need you. We love you.

00:17:31.240 We see you and we're there for you and we're fighting for you.

00:17:36.820 Perfect. Thank you very much. Todd Doherty, Todd Doherty, the member of parliament for Caribou,

00:17:41.140 Prince George in the beautiful province of British Columbia is also the special advisor to the leader

00:17:45.460 of the official opposition, Aaron O'Toole on mental health wellness. He's doing a fantastic job. He was

00:17:50.680 doing a fantastic job prior to COVID and, uh, he's the right person for the job as we make this one of

00:17:55.900 the top five priorities of the conservative party of Canada going forward in a very serious topic.

00:18:02.160 And that's why we ask you if you could to, to share this, to, to subscribe, to, to comment on

00:18:08.160 this. It's a very serious one. Again, maybe you have someone in your network that would just like

00:18:13.000 to hear those, those three words that Todd mentioned earlier, please reach out to them. It's, it's a very,

00:18:18.800 very challenging time for us. And hopefully we will be back to normal very soon. And we can see each

00:18:24.620 other and give each other a hug. And as Michelle Rempel-Garner, I think Todd Doherty said many

00:18:28.980 times, so we don't have to say goodbye to our loved ones through an iPad. I think that's what

00:18:33.160 we'd all like. Again, new content every single Tuesday, 1.30 PM Eastern time. Thank you very

00:18:38.700 much for joining us. If you can't watch this again, and you'd like to listen to it, you can download it

00:18:43.060 in CastBox, iTunes, Google play, Spotify, you name it. It is out there. Remember low taxes,

00:18:48.880 less government, more freedom. That's the blueprint. Thanks for joining us.

00:18:54.620 We'll see you next time.

The Blueprint: Canada's Conservative Podcast - March 30, 2021

Mental Health During the Pandemic

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