Governor General recognizes Let’s Talk Day and offers message about mental health
Mary Simon ‘encouraged’ by younger generation’s openness to speaking up about mental health
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is encouraging Canadians to speak up about mental health and share their healing journeys. (Image courtesy of the Office of the Governor General)
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon offered a message to Canadians on Bell Let’s Talk day about the importance of reducing the stigma for mental health challenges.
“I’ve had experiences in my life that have left me with a lifelong commitment to ensuring that we treat mental health as a fundamental aspect of our overall well-being — as equally important as our physical health,” Simon said in a news release issued Wednesday to coincide with the annual day to encourage Canadians to talk about mental health issues.
Simon emphasized the importance of open dialogue, saying that approaching someone and simply offering to talk can go a long way in helping them.
“I am encouraged to see a younger generation who are more open about the importance of speaking up about mental health and sharing their healing journeys,” she said.
The annual Bell Let’s Talk campaign began in 2011 in an effort to encourage Canadians to normalize and reduce stigma around surrounding mental health challenges.
In the past year, Simon has used her position as the King’s representative in Canada to comment on contemporary social issues.
Last February, Simon temporarily shut down commenting on her social media pages in response to what she called “an increase in abusive, misogynistic and racist” posts.
In her New Year’s message, she said Canadians have taken steps “toward making the internet a safer place for women and girls.”
Is it Bell: Do Our Advertising for us Day already?!
“Bell” Lets talk day is just an advertising strategy from Bell. I find this creepy.
It is true that almost all corporate charity is part of the respective company’s marketing and image-enhancing strategy. That is the quid pro quoi. Lots of charitable causes benefit.
The Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund provided a major grant four years ago which allowed the Ayalik Fund to enhance it’s challenging outdoor programs for Inuit youth from Nunavut, so that now all of our canoe trips have a mental health counsellor embedded in the staff. That is surely is a worthwhile use of Bell’s advertising dollars.
Let’s talk about extravagance and a lot of expensive flights and dinners on the taxpayer dime and how it impacts mental health
Makes me self medicate !!!
What could the average layperson such as Mary Simon know about mental health?
Lay people talking virtuously about mental health is a slight to those with mental disorders.
Surely she’s referring to emotional well-being and should say so.
What’s the HF frequency?