MPs question delay in suicide hotline as COVID-19 crisis calls continue
![Todd Doherty Conservative Member of Parliament Todd Doherty asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/12/29/todd-doherty-1-5722480-1640807638605.jpg)
Todd Doherty still remembers the despair he felt when he learned one of his closest friends took his own life at age 14.
The day it happened, Doherty and a group of friends had gone swimming and were laughing and joking on their way home. All seemed perfectly normal until the next day, when his friend didn't come to school.
Almost four decades on, Doherty torments himself about whether he could have done something to stop his friend from killing himself.
"He was one of my best friends," the B.C. Conservative member of Parliament told The Canadian Press. "I live that day over and over again."
Yet the tragedy also inspired Doherty to try to help others, which is why he spearheaded a push in the House of Commons last December to establish a three-digit national suicide prevention hotline: 988.
Doherty's motion to take "immediate action" to establish the suicide prevention hotline was approved in the Commons in December 2020, with unanimous support among MPs, each of whom Doherty had contacted personally.
But more than a year later, the crisis hotline has still not been activated. That has prompted questions and concerns, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on Canadians' mental health.
"We need to do whatever we can to protect the well-being of Canadians and save lives," Doherty said.
Doherty and others had hoped the hotline would be up and running by the end of 2021. Instead, it is the subject of consultations being led by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
The CRTC launched the consultations in June "to hear from Canadians on whether a national three-digit number for mental health crisis and suicide prevention service should be established, and how to do so," spokeswoman Isabella Maestri said in a statement.
"The information received from Canadians and other interested parties will help the commission better understand the challenges and solutions, advantages, and costs associated with implementing a three-digit number for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services."
The current round of consultations will end on Jan. 31, she added, though participants will have until mid-March to submit responses.
That doesn't sit well with Conservative MP Mike Lake, who recently raised questions in the House of Commons about why it was taking so long to establish the hotline.
"One would have thought at this time of year it would have been introduced. It shouldn't take this long," the Alberta MP said in an interview. "A suicide prevention hotline should be a priority. There are a million reasons to expedite this."
Statistics Canada says 11 people die by suicide each day, and that there are around 4,000 deaths by suicide per year.
Suicide rates are consistently higher among Indigenous people in Canada, particularly young people. From 2011 to 2016, the suicide rate was three times higher than among the non-Indigenous population, according to Statistics Canada.
Mental Health Minister Carolyn Bennett's office in a statement said the Liberal government remains committed to funding a national three-digit crisis line for mental health and suicide prevention.
But while Bennett's office said they "understand the urgency of implementing this crisis line," it said the issue currently rests with the CRTC.
The Canadian Suicide Prevention Service already operates an 11-digit suicide helpline, but Dr. Allison Crawford, the service's chief medical officer, said a three-digit dialing code would be far easier to remember.
"With this new number, more people will be able to get support from trained responders, which could reduce the burden on services that provide other kinds of mental health-related support," she said.
For every person who commits suicide, there are an estimated 20 to 25 attempts, the Prevention Service said. An average of 275 people attempt suicide in Canada every day.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29. 2021.
IN DEPTH
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6922467.1718138898!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6850735.1713368648!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6974305.1721749112!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING Biden to speak Wednesday about his decision to drop 2024 re-election bid
U.S. President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening on his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid.
Waterloo, Ont. woman out thousands for car totalled by stolen hit-and-run driver
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
LIVE @ 10 MT Wildfire near Jasper National Park prompts evacuation order and highway closures
Multiple wildfires in Jasper National Park flared up with a vengeance late Monday night, forcing all park visitors along with the 4,700 residents of the Jasper townsite to flee west with little notice over mountain roads through darkness, soot, and ash.
Do you need a lawyer when making a will in Canada?
Many people believe that creating a will requires the services of a lawyer, but this isn't always the case. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew explains a lawyer's role when crafting your last will and testament.
BREAKING U.S. Secret Service director resigns after Trump assassination attempt
The director of the Secret Service is stepping down from her job, according to an email she sent to staff, following the assassination attempt against former U.S. president Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could fail in its core mission.
Quebec mom devastated after man who killed her daughter in hit-and-run gets out after 5 months
A Montreal-area mother is furious with Quebec's justice system because the man who killed her 25-year-old daughter in a 2022 hit-and-run was released from jail after only serving one-sixth of his sentence behind bars.
'They are not taking this decision lightly': Wildfire forces Williams Lake, B.C., seniors homes to move residents
Firefighters continue to battle raging wildfires in B.C.’s Cariboo Region, and concern is growing that recent weather could worsen the situation.
BREAKING NEWS Polar bear at Calgary Zoo died by drowning following 'crushing' injury
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has revealed the cause of death for polar bear Baffin.
What Canadians should know about a possible Kamala Harris U.S. presidency
Observers expect Kamala Harris to follow U.S. President Joe Biden’s roadmap for America’s relationship with Canada as she moves to secure the Democratic party's presidential nomination.
Local Spotlight
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6974237.1721746558!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Ottawa Humane Society reunites Montreal family with cat missing for 8 years
A cat who fled her Montreal home nearly a decade ago has been reunited with her family after being found in Ottawa.
Waterloo, Ont. woman out thousands for car totalled by stolen hit-and-run driver
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
'It looks scary, but they're harmless': Bees removed from Winnipeg street light
A swarm of bees living in a lamppost in Winnipeg’s Sage Creek neighbourhood has found a new home for its hive.
'Powerful symbol of the progress we have made': Land being returned to Manitoba Métis Federation
Around 100 acres of Manitoba Crown Land near the Saskatchewan border is being returned to the Métis community.
Cape Breton moose hunting suspended for 3 years due to 'significant' drop in population
Nova Scotia is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years due to what the province is calling a “significant drop” in the population.
Social media prank could lead to charges after teens allegedly damage homes
A well-known childhood prank known as 'nicky nicky nine doors,' or 'ding dong ditch,' has escalated into a more serious game that could lead to charges for some Surrey, B.C. teens.
Benefit concert to be held for N.B. teen badly injured in 'freak accident'
It's been more than a month since their good friend was seriously hurt in an accident and two teens from Riverview, N.B., are still having a hard time dealing with it.
Here's what happens to rejected Halifax bridge coins
Halifax bridges have collected thousands of coins from around the world.
Video shows B.C. grizzly basking in clawfoot tub
A donated clawfoot bathtub has become the preferred lounging spot for a pair of B.C. grizzly bears, who have been taking turns relaxing and reclining in it – with minimal sibling squabbling – for the past year.