Originally named the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, it is one of the largest and oldest voluntary health organizations operating in Canada.

[2] Each year, CMHA divisions and branches across Canada provide service to more than 1.3 million Canadians annually through the combined efforts of more than 10,000 volunteers and 5,000 staff in locally run organizations in more than 300 communities in every province.

The CMHA runs multiple programs a year focused on raising awareness for mental health issues while supporting partner organizations and relevant initiatives.

[4] Veterans were placed in prisons and asylums and Clarence M. Hincks noticed the lack of support, doctors and treatment inside these institutions, thus creating the need to change.

Hincks selected 18 members for his Board of Directors, including well known names like Lord Shaughnessy, President of the CPR; Richard B. Angus, Montreal financier and philanthropist; C.F.

[4] Hincks utilized co-founder Clifford W. Beers personal experience in mental health as a tool to share during "drawing-room meetings", or afternoon teas with influential women in order to gain the support of their wealthy friends.

The strategy was extended to homes of friends in Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa, and it proved successful by recruiting an impressive list of potential members and donors.

[4] One of the first opportunities for the association was a project given by Lieutenant Colonel Colin Russel who asked CNCMH to visit all mental institutions—jails, schools, hospitals, and special homes—in the province of Manitoba caring for soldiers.

During the next four years, requests for surveys were received from British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

Surveys reviled the impact war had on individuals, highlighting neuropsychiatric disorders and mental health diseases, as well as the improper treatment and care of soldiers.

Peer Support Canada is an organization which specializes in connecting certified people who have experienced and beaten mental health issues with current sufferers.

[8] The group also offers a certification, a three-phase program where individuals are assessed and verified based on the national Standards of Practice regarding the knowledge and skills necessary to assist those with mental health challenges.

[12] The CMHA has introduced Recovery Colleges that bring together both trained professionals and those who have lived with mental health issues to develop and deliver courses designed to facilitate the hope and skills necessary to help students recover.

[17] The CMHA proposed recommendations to the Canadian government including investments in mental health and addiction services, a national suicide prevention strategy, and research.