Call on the Government of Canada to develop a national strategy now
Whereas:
- There are approximately 165,000 new cases of brain injury annually in Canada;
- Health and community service providers require more education regarding the intersection of brain injury, mental health, and addiction;
- For every NHL player who suffers a concussion in sport, more than 5,500 Canadian women sustain the same injury from domestic violence;
- There were 21,824 opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations resulting in hypoxic brain injury between January 2016 and June 2020 in Canada;
- An estimated 60% of brain injury survivors suffer from anxiety and/or depression;
- The risk of suicide increases by 400% for a survivor of brain injury;
- Brain injury survivors face a 200% increased risk of struggling with addictions after sustaining a brain injury; and
- Despite the federal government committing $11 billion over ten years to improve community support and mental health and/or addiction services, none are specifically targeted to brain injury.
Alistair’s Bill C-277 is supported by CGB Centre for Traumatic Life Losses, Brain Injury Canada, Cowichan Brain Injury Society, and the BC Brain Injury Association.
