Note pour la période des questions : Ligne de prévention du suicide à trois chiffres (9-8-8)

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• In the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction’s Mandate Letter, the Minister was directed to implement a three-digit suicide prevention number. On December 11, 2020, parliamentarians voted unanimously in favour of a motion sponsored by MP Todd Doherty (Conservative, British Columbia) calling on the federal government to act immediately to set up a national 9-8-8 number to consolidate all existing suicide crisis numbersThe Government of Canada welcomes the determination from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to adopt 9-8-8 as the number to call or text for Canadians in need of immediate mental health crisis and suicide prevention support effective November 30, 2023.
• The Government of Canada announced that the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health will lead the coordination of 9-8-8 service delivery, building on its experience delivering Talk Suicide Canada.
• The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring this service has the quality and capacity to meet the demand, connecting people to effective crisis support when they need it the most.

If pressed on timing for the implementation of a three-digit number for suicide prevention crsis support
• The CRTC announced the 9-8-8 number will be launched across Canada on November 30, 2023.
• In preparation, the Public Health Agency of Canada contracted a firm to analyze service volumes associated with launching a three-digit number, and estimated that service volumes may increase four to six-fold by 2027. This analysis will help identify the resources required to support the service.
• The Agency is also engaging with a range of stakeholders, experts and representatives from provincial and territorial governments for their perspectives on what a successful roll-out will require.

If pressed on what service providers need to implement 9-8-8
• As highlighted in the CRTC’s decision, telecommunication service providers will need to implement 9-8-8 dialing across Canada. This includes:
o Introducing ten-digit local dialing in areas where seven-digit dialing is still the default; and
o Making the necessary changes to their networks to enable callers to dial or text 9 8-8.
• The objective is to ensure that everyone in Canada will be able to use the 9-8-8 number, and these important steps will help get us there.

If pressed on why Budget 2022 did not announce funding to support a three-digit number
• The CRTC’s decision and ongoing engagement will help to determine resource requirements for 9-8-8.
• While three-digit crisis line support is in development, we will continue to support Talk Suicide Canada and surge capacity for distress lines and Kids Help Phone to meet demands for services.
• Crisis support is available to people in Canada through:
o Talk Suicide Canada (1-833-456-4566)
o 1-866-APPELLE (277-3553) for people in Quebec
o Hope for Wellness for Indigenous peoples (1-855-242-3310)
o Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868)
o Provincial and local distress lines
o Trans Lifeline (1-877-330-6366)

If pressed on U.S. experience implementing a three-digit number
• In the United States, preparations for a three-digit number took place over a four-year period.
• The choice to assign 9-8-8 in Canada and the United States is due to the unavailability of a three-digit number ending in 11 (e.g., 411, 911).
• We are working closely with our counterparts in the United States, and learning from their best practices, to help guide Canada’s approach to implementing a three-digit number.
• Our goal is to be ready for a safe and seamless rollout so that calls do not go unanswered.

If pressed on the contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is analyzing anticipated service volumes
• The Public Health Agency of Canada contracted PricewaterhouseCoopers to understand anticipated service volume and demand for 9-8-8.
• This analysis factored in anticipated demand over time, the impact of diverted calls from other services, including 911 and local crisis lines, as well as new growth associated with introducing an easy-to-remember number.
• This analysis forecasts a four to six-fold increase by 2027. This will inform planning, including costs and resources.
• This exercise builds on forecasting analysis undertaken by the U.S. which estimated a four- to tenfold growth in service volumes within the first five years of launching 9-8-8.
• The U.S. experienced a higher volume of calls and texts than initially forecasted. These findings will inform the service volume forecast for Canada.

If pressed on why it took so long to begin the consultation on the 9-8-8 service model and implementation
• In April 2022, the CRTC asked the Public Health Agency of Canada to determine the termination point of calls made to the abbreviated number, the entity that would manage calls to the abbreviated number, as well as the scope of the services being provided.
• The CRTC noted that these determinations would need to be informed through engagement with partners, including provincial and territorial governments, suicide prevention stakeholders, and Indigenous organizations. The CRTC asked for receipt of this information in fall 2022. The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed that this engagement is underway and it will provide a response in this timeframe.
• Engagement with representatives from provinces and territories, Indigenous organizations and key stakeholders began in May 2022 and is ongoing. It will inform implementation planning so that 9-8-8 is operational on November 30, 2023.

Le Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes (CRTC) a récemment annoncé qu'il adoptera le 9-8-8 pour que les Canadiens puissent appeler ou envoyer un message texte lorsqu'ils ont besoin d'un soutien immédiat en cas de crise de santé mentale et de prévention du suicide. Ce service sera lancé dans tout le Canada le 30 novembre 2023.
Parallèlement, l'Agence de la santé publique du Canada (ASPC) se prépare à la mise en œuvre d'un numéro à trois chiffres pour la prévention du suicide du point de vue de la prestation de services. Le 31 août 2022, l'ASPC a annoncé que le Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale (CAMH) avait été choisi pour diriger la coordination de la prestation des services du 9-8-8, en s'appuyant sur son expérience de la prestation de Talk Suicide Canada. Dans un premier temps, le CAMH établira des collaborations avec des organismes clés afin de commencer à renforcer les capacités, et s'engagera auprès des intervenants pour définir la portée et les exigences d'un service de qualité offert en temps opportun. De plus, l'ASPC fait appel à des intervenants de divers secteurs, y compris les provinces et les territoires, les partenaires autochtones, les responsables de la sécurité publique et les personnes ayant une expérience vécue, pour définir la portée et les éléments de la prestation du service, notamment pour comprendre la demande prévue pour le 9-8-8. Enfin, l'ASPC s'inspire de l'expérience internationale, notamment des États-Unis, qui ont estimé que le volume d’appels serait multiplié par quatre ou par dix pour leur service, dont le lancement complet a eu lieu le 16 juillet 2022, après plus de quatre ans de préparatifs.
Cette initiative s’appuie sur le soutien actuel du gouvernement à un service pancanadien de prévention du suicide. L’ASPC investit actuellement 21 millions de dollars sur 5 ans (4,2 millions de dollars par an) pour que le CAMH, avec ses partenaires, mette en place et maintienne Parlons suicide Canada. De plus, l’ASPC consacre 800 000 $ par année pour couvrir les activités de surveillance, d’administration, de production de rapports et d’évaluation liées à l’accord de contribution conclu avec ledit centre. Le Service canadien de prévention du suicide offre un accès téléphonique (1-833-456-4566), en français et en anglais, à des intervenants formés pour la prévention du suicide en cas de crise, et ce, 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7. Les appels au Service sont répondus par des intervenants formés provenant d’un réseau de onze centres de crise communautaires au Canada et d’un centre d’intervention de secours.
Comme indiqué dans le budget de 2021, le gouvernement est résolu à assurer la disponibilité de fonds pour appuyer la mise en service de ce numéro à trois chiffres.

• Le Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes (CRTC) a récemment annoncé qu'il adoptera le 9-8-8 pour que les Canadiens puissent appeler ou envoyer un message texte lorsqu'ils ont besoin d'un soutien immédiat en cas de crise de santé mentale et de prévention du suicide. Ce service sera lancé dans tout le Canada le 30 novembre 2023.