[1] On 21 April 2015, Minister of Finance Joe Oliver announced that the 2015 federal budget calls for the renewal of the MHCC for another ten-year mandate starting in 2017–2018.
The aim is provide relevant jurisdictions and stakeholders with tools and information required to improve the quality of and access to mental health care.
[3] The proposal for creation of the MHCC was made by the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology in 2006 in their publication, "Out of the Shadows at Last", a comprehensive study of the state of mental health care in Canada.
From 2007 to 2012, the MHCC worked with eight committees, each having approximately 120 members with expertise and experience in a different field of mental health, in order to oversee their mandate.
The committees were tasked with advising on the following major areas of concern: Child and Youth Family Caregivers First Nations, Inuit and Metis Mental Health and the Law Seniors Service Systems Science Workforce The Commission's "At Home" research project ("Chez Soi" in French) looked to address homelessness for people with mental illness by combining treatment with places to live, and is the largest experiment of its kind in the world.
Directors on the NFB project include Manfred Becker (Toronto), Lynne Stopkewich (Vancouver) and Louiselle Noël (Moncton).
This framework was designed to be adapted by Canadian companies in assisting them to implement policies and practices aimed at combatting mental illness and identifying potential hazards to their employees.