A Canadian MP Is Calling For A New Suicide Hotline That's As Easy As 911

He said it could be difference between a life saved and a life lost.
A Canadian MP Is Calling For A New Suicide Hotline That's As Easy As 911
Saffron Blaze I Unsplash Todd_doherty I Instagram
Contributor

COVID-19 has no doubt taken Canada by storm but it has apparently done a number on peoples' mental health too. 

During the pandemic, Canada Suicide Prevention Service saw a 200% rise in demand, according to CBC News.  

Now one Canadian MP is asking Parliament to consider implementing a 3-digit hotline so that Canadians can access mental health support as easy as dialling 911.  

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When they're at that point where they want to ask for help, a simple, easy, three-digit number to remember could make the difference between a life saved and a life lost. MP Todd Doherty

MP for Cariboo-Prince George, Todd Doherty, is calling on the federal government to set in motion a suicide prevention service with just three digits: 988.  

He said that when an individual seeks out mental health support they should be met with ease, not hardship.

The number is easy to remember and could be "the difference between a life saved and a life lost."

"I believe that we must do everything in our power to prepare for that onslaught of mental health issues and challenges that we're going to face due to COVID," Doherty said.

CanadaNews
  • Osobe Waberi
    Osobe Waberi was a Toronto-based Ethiopian-Somali Francophone writer at Narcity Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialist degree in journalism and a news media diploma from Centennial College. Before Osobe’s gig as a national trending writer at Narcity, she worked at Toronto Star, The Canadian Press, VICE, and CBC.
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