May 29, 2026

Check against delivery

I am pleased to see a project close to my heart come to fruition today.

Thank you, Prime Minister, for this generous investment, which makes it possible to launch a project close to my heart.

I undertook a Mental Health Listening and Learning Tour to better understand a reality that has long troubled me.

Despite rising rates of psychological distress, suicide and overdose in Canada, mental health still does not receive the same attention as physical health, nor is it treated with the same urgency and compassion.

Too many people—especially young people and those in remote communities—continue to lack the support they need.

The gap in service is acute in northern communities.

In Iqaluit, Nunavut, I met with mental health practitioners, community workers, cultural healers and caretakers doing remarkable work with very limited resources.

They spoke of the power of peer support—support from someone who speaks Inuktitut, understands Inuit culture, and knows the realities of life in the North.

Someone who understands that a mental health crisis can’t always wait for an appointment—that approaches like drop‑in counselling or mobile mental health teams are often what work best.

Someone who understands trauma and the lasting harm caused by residential schools and other colonial policies.

Healing is strongest when the person helping us truly understands who we are.

Relying solely on non-Indigenous professionals sent from the South on a temporary basis makes it very difficult to build the trust that effective mental health support requires.

Healing flourishes through connection and culture.

That is why this program will focus on supporting community-based mental health counsellors with lived experience—individuals who, with the right training and adequate financial support, can make a meaningful difference.

It is one of the most effective ways we can help build a strong and vibrant Canadian North for the future.

I sincerely thank the Rideau Hall Foundation for undertaking this important work.

And please do not think that the end of my term as governor general marks the end of my work. I fully intend to continue supporting this cause in the years ahead.

My commitment to the people of the Arctic will never waiver. Ajuinnata!

Thank you.