Background
As part of the CPA’s strategic plan is to advocate for the science, practice and education of psychology, the association is actively involved in a number of advocacy and government relations’ activities to ensure that the voice of psychology is making an important contribution to the public policy discussion/decision-making process when it comes to the health and wellbeing of Canadians as well as the science, practice and education in psychology.
To support our advocacy activities, the CPA is a registered lobbyist organization that submits monthly reports on its lobbying activities to the federal government.
Advocacy in Action
Generally speaking, the CPA’s advocacy activities take a variety of forms and include the following:
- Meeting with Members of Parliament and Senators and their staff
- Meeting with senior government officials
- Presenting to House of Commons and Senate Standing Committees
- Liaising with senior representatives from federally-funded health agencies
- Partnering with mental health and research-focussed strategic partnerships
- Developing and presenting letters, Briefs, and position/policy statements
- Participating in the pre-budget consultation process (submit Brief, present to Finance Committee)
- Participating in expert roundtables and consultations (e.g., Medical Assistance in Dying [MAiD])
- Providing the perspective of psychology on Federal Committee work and Bills under review (e.g., Conversion Therapy)
- Compiling resources of interest for the psychology practitioner and researcher communities
- Launching strategic communications and media campaigns
- Attending conferences/workshops and events to present perspective of psychology
Specific CPA advocacy activities, grouped by issue area, are listed below.
Launch of Members Only Advocacy Toolkit for Psychology
In addition to the advocacy work that the CPA undertakes on your behalf, the Association strongly believes it is important to invest in, and equip, our members and affiliates with the knowledge, strategies and tools they need to be an effective advocate. For this reason, the CPA has created the Very Involved Psychologist (VIP) and Very Involved Psychologist Researcher (VIPR) program. As part of that program, we have developed a toolkit to assist members in building their advocacy skill set and/or confirming their approach.
At the present time, the toolkit is comprised of the following elements –
- an Advocacy Guide that is designed to provide psychology practitioners, researchers and educators with the basic knowledge, strategies and tools to effectively engage and contribute to the political/public policy-making process
- Meeting your Member of Parliament kit comprised of dos and don’ts, sample emails/letters, etc. that will help you prepare for, and debrief, your meeting.
- a Media Guide that provides you with the knowledge you need to deal effectively with traditional and social media
- a bank of Other Resources – a dos and don’ts PowerPoint, videos and presentations that speak to the CPA’s role and its approach to public policy advocacy; all of which may be useful for members in building their advocacy skill set
In the coming months, we will add other elements to the Toolkit including – one-page Key Messaging documents, advocacy-related continuing education courses, etc.
To access the toolkit, CPA Members and Affiliates can log into the Members Only site here – https://secure.cpa.ca/apps/Pages/advocacy
Not a member, but want to access the toolkit? You can join the CPA here – https://cpa.ca/membership/becomeamemberofcpa/
1. Impact of COVID-19
The CPA has been actively engaged with the federal government, on its own and in strategic partnership with other associations and alliances, as it responds to the COVID-19 global pandemic to ensure that the needs of psychology practitioners, researchers and students, as well psychologists’ patients are addressed.
The CPA also developed a series of COVID-19 fact sheets and public resources, as well as member messages which help inform the public on the psychological aspects of living in a pandemic as well as support the pandemic-related needs of CPA members, students and affiliates. In addition, CPA has supported a pro bono psychological service offering to health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic across the country as well as developed and delivered webinars to the staff of other not-for-profit health and science organizations to help them in coping with the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic.
The CPA, partnering with the Council of Professional Associations of Psychologists (CPAP), commissioned Nanos Research to survey more than 3,000 Canadians to better understand how they perceive the role of psychology, the barriers and solutions to accessing care, and the quality of care they receive. See news release and survey findings.
The Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition (EHPC) wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau and Premiers encouraging governments to make the approved COVID-19 vaccines available to all regulated health care workers who deliver care in a variety of settings as early as possible.
The CPA, partnering with the Council of Professional Associations of Psychologists (CPAP), commissioned Nanos Research to survey more than 3,000 Canadians to better understand how they are managing their mental health and accessing care from psychologists in a COVID-19 world. See news release and survey findings.
The Organizations for Health Action (HEAL), of which CPA is a founding member, released policy paper Beyond Covid-19: HEAL’s Recommendations for a Healthier Nation which offers recommendations to the federal government in the areas of pandemic readiness, seniors’ health and mental health. Dr. Karen Cohen (CPA CEO) and Glenn Brimacombe (CPA Director, Policy and Public Affairs) actively participated in the writing of this report.
At the same time, HEAL released its COVID-19 Survey Summary, which identified three key areas that members are concerned with on a daily basis: (1) access to proper resources including space and information; (2) exposure to the virus and access to personal protective equipment (PPE); and (3) the mental health of providers.
Report by the Royal Society of Canada on COVID-19, Mental Health and the Federal Role (October 2020)
The report Easing the Disruption of COVID-19: Supporting the Mental Health of the People of Canada by a working group of the Royal Society of Canada was released in October 2020 and contains 21 recommendations, largely focused on the federal role in supporting/investing in mental health. Several of CAMIMH’s recommendations from its Mental Health Action Plan were incorporated into the document. Mr. Glenn Brimacombe (CPA Director, Policy and Public Affairs), in addition to some members of the CPA, served on the working group.
The Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition (EHPC) sent a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau requesting that regulated health professionals be deemed an essential service to provide needed care to Canadians should future shutdowns be required.
As part of the Organizations for Health Action (HEAL), the CPA had an opportunity to meet with the Federal Minister of Health, The Honourable Patty Hajdu to discuss the role of the government in the context of COVID-19. The Minister indicated that the government is discussing what additional investments need to be made to support the mental health of Canadians.
CPA sent a letter to the House of Commons Standing Committee to offer our expertise in assisting in identifying sustainable solutions that keep Canadians mentally as well as physically healthy.
2. Federal Government-Mental Health (Funding, Policy, Legislation, Research)
As a national health association, the CPA is actively engaging the federal government on a range of public policy issues as they pertain to mental health.
The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH), of which the CPA is a founding member, released a report Take the Money and Run which reviews how the provinces and territories are spending the $25 billion that was part of the 2023 ten-year health agreements with the federal government. The report notes that while the provinces and territories have taken the money, many of them need to up their game in terms of investing these resources to improve timely access to mental health and substance use health care services. See the news release and report.
On World Mental Health Day, Member of Parliament, Gord Johns (NDP, Courtenay-Alberni) rose in the House of Commons and tabled Bill C-414 An Act to Amend the Canada Health Act (mental, addictions and substance use health services). If passed, the Bill will provide the people of Canada access to a wider array of publicly-funded services for mental health and substance use health in their communities. Both the CPA and the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) issued news releases in support of this historic piece of legislation. Mr. Johns’ news conference, with the CAMIMH Co-Chairs can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V848d-Yvgt8.
CPA President, Dr. Anita Gupta appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages who are studying measures to be taken by the federal government to ensure the delivery of health services in minority languages. Dr. Gupta’s opening statement can be found here. The video of her appearance can be found here.
The CPA, along with the Canadian Mental Health Association and 16 other concerned organizations wrote a letter to The Honourable Mark Holland, Federal Minister of Health concerning the exclusion of mental health and substance use health care services from the Canada Health Act and proposed a course moving forward.
Later this month, the CPA has been invited by The Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions to participate in a roundtable meeting to discuss the recently announced $500 million Youth Mental Health Fund. Members can provide input directly via this link by July 31st.
The CPA sent a letter to The Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board of Canada in support of fair and reasonable compensation for federally-employed psychologists.
As part of the federal government’s recent announcement to create a new “Capstone Research Funding Organization” to better coordinate and align the work of the Tri-Councils (i.e., CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC), the CPA has provided input into the federal government’s consultation process.
The CPA was invited to appear before the Standing Senate Committee on Transportation and Communications that is reviewing Bill S-269, an Act Respecting A National Framework on Advertising for Sports Betting. Dr. Steve Joordens’ represented the CPA, which called for a ban on the advertising and marketing of sports gambling. See Dr. Joordens’ opening remarks, as well as his recent webinar on the Marketing of Sports Gambling.
The CPA issued a news release calling on The Senate of Canada to support Bill S-269, and to follow other countries by banning the advertising and marketing of gambling in Canada. This release follows a letter that was sent to Senator Marty Deacon outlining the CPA’s concerns in greater detail.
The CPA responded to the recent federal budget noting that it does not go far enough in terms of dedicated funding for mental health. See news release here.
As part of the federal government’s 2024 pre-budget consultation process, the CPA and Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) submitted Briefs that contain specific financial “asks” of the government. See the CPA’s and CAMIMH’s Brief.
Given the recent decision of the federal government to wind down the Wellness Together Canada portal in April, 2024, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) publicly commented on this being bad mental health and substance use health policy. See news release.
The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) released its 2nd Annual Mental Health and Substance Use Health Report Card that reflects the views of the people of Canada when it comes to rating governments across four categories (access, confidence, satisfaction and effectiveness) in providing mental health and substance use health care services (see the attached news release and slide deck). The bottom line is that governments are not moving nearly fast enough nor making the necessary public investments to improve timely access mental health and substance use health services. See the news release and report card.
As the federal government gets closer to amending legislation that would permit those with a sole underlying medical condition to seek medical assistance in dying (MAiD), the CPA was invited to appear before the Special Committee (of Members of Parliament and Senators) on Medical Assistance in Dying. CPA President Dr. Eleanor Gittens and CPA Past-President, Dr. Sam Mikhail attended on behalf of the CPA. Read the CPA’s opening remarks. View the meeting (which begins at 1:00).
Led by Co-Chairs, Dr. Andrew Kim, Dr. Keira Stockdale and the late Dr. Peter Hoaken, the CPA Board of Directors recently approved a position paper The Decriminalization of Illegal Substances in Canada developed by the Working Group on Decriminalization. In addition to seven actionable recommendations for governments and relevant stakeholders, the report calls for criminal penalties associated with simple possession of illegal substances be removed from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and strongly recommends that the determination of the quantity of “personal use” should be made in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including people with lived and living experience with substance use. See our news release.
In lead up to the federal government’s 2024 Budget, the CPA submitted its Brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance which contains four financial asks which focus on improved access to care across the public and private sectors, creating more training positions for psychology, and increasing research funding to the Tri-Councils and funding for students and post-doctoral Fellows. The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH), of which the CPA is a founding member, also submitted a Brief.
The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) through its Code of Ethics and policy statements, has long held a commitment to human rights, social justice, and the dignity of persons. Despite this commitment, echoed in amendments to Canada’s Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, gender-based stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination continue to persist across social systems and services (e.g., education, health, justice).
With the rise of gender minority hate and violence worldwide, this policy statement outlines the discrimination that people of gender minority face, as well as the changes that need to be made to redress it. The CPA commits to helping to bring about these changes and calls on legislators, policy makers, and agencies and individuals who deliver health and social services to assert their commitments to join us.
View the full Position Statement here (PDF).
View all of the CPA’s Position and Policy Statements here
The CPA responded to the recent federal budget noting that it does not go far enough in terms of dedicated funding for mental health. See news release here.
In surveying Canadian residents who have accessed mental health services in the past year, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) found that the provinces received a collective grade of “D” in providing access to mental health professionals. See the news release and survey results.
The CPA was recently invited to appear before the Senate Sub-Committee on Veterans Affairs to discuss emerging treatment options for Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police veterans’ suffering from occupational stress injuries. Read our opening remarks.
The CPA responds to the ten-year proposal presented to the provinces and territories.
Knowing that First Ministers are meeting on February 7th to discuss the future of health care, the CPA is releasing a roadmap to assist the federal, and provincial and territorial governments as they discuss how to increase investment in publicly funded mental health and substance use health services. See news release. The roadmap, which contains ten recommendations, is based on a series of key informant interviews with a series of stakeholders.
Mental health and wellbeing which include the range of social, emotional, intellectual and behavioural functions upon which we all rely day to day, are critical to the success of people and the places in which they live, work, learn, and play. This is especially true for children, for whom mental health services and supports bring the biggest return on investment. School psychologists play an essential role in the mental and cognitive health and wellbeing of students in school and non-school settings, particularly, as we continue to live with the impacts of far-reaching societal events, like the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Click Here to read the Position Paper.
The CPA provided the federal government with five recommendations (i.e., financial asks) for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to consider. The objective is to help shape the 2023 federal budget. In addition, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH), and the Canadian Consortium for Research (CCR) – of which the CPA is a founding member also provided their Briefs to the committee.
Led by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health and 49 national health associations and other related organizations, an open letter was sent to The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health & Addictions calling on the federal government to live up to its 2021 election promise to establish a Canada Mental Health Transfer with an initial value of $4.5 billion over the next 5 years. See news release.
The CPA responded with a series of recommendations to the final report of the Expert Panel on MAiD and Mental Illness which was submitted to the Special Joint (Parliamentary) Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying. The CPA has requested to appear before the Committee. The CPA also wrote to the Minister of Health and Mental Health and Addictions regarding their announcement allocating $3.3 million to the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Practitioners, to which psychologists must be included.
The CPA submitted a Brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. The Brief responds to a study the committee is undertaking on labour shortages and working conditions within the care economy – which includes healthcare workers, personal support workers and childcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brief focuses on the role and contributions of psychology within an integrated primary care system, the importance training additional capacity and licensure, and the need for more robust health system performance measures.
Following the release of the 2022 federal budget, the CPA issued a news release noting that while the federal government has taken some important steps forward, more strides need to be taken to improve timely access to publicly funded mental health care services. The Budget also stopped short of the need to invest in psychological research to help us understand and better respond to health and community emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Karen Cohen spoke to HESA on the emergency situation facing Canadians in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In her opening remarks she focused on: (1) the important role that psychological science plays in developing current and post-pandemic policies; (2) the need to address the funding barriers that limits access to psychological care; and (3) the importance of training and regulating Canada’s health human resources.
Chaired by Dr. Karen Cohen (CPA CEO), the Psychotherapy Policy Implementation Network (PPIN) under the auspices of the Mental Health Commission of Canada – recently released a report The Time is Now on how to increase access to timely access to publicly-funded psychotherapy via targeted federal funding. The report identifies two options: (1) a National Psychotherapy Fund that would provide a fixed annual amount of federal funding to the provinces and territories to expand coverage for the assessment, diagnosis and/or treatment (i.e., psychotherapy) for mental health disorders that are not currently reimbursed through the public system; or (2) a National Psychotherapy Program that would provide a fixed annual amount of federal funding to the provinces and territories for an administered program (similar to the IAPT program in the United Kingdom) that provides expanded access for the assessment, diagnosis and/or treatment (i.e., psychotherapy) of mental health disorders.
With the federal government’s commitment to establish a Canada Mental Health Transfer initially valued at $4.5 billion over the next 5 years, the CPA and the Council of Professional Associations of Psychologists (CPAP) released a report New Federal Investments in Mental Health: Accelerating the Integration of Psychological Services in Primary Care. By making investments in evidence-based mental health services – such as psychotherapy – delivered by regulated mental health providers whose services are not covered by Medicare, the expectation is that these funds will make the inaccessible accessible (e.g., psychological services) rather than make the accessible more accessible (i.e., hospital and physician services). In the view of the country’s psychological associations, the most effective and efficient means of achieving better access to evidence-based mental health care is to invest in integrated collaborative care practices in primary care and community-based settings. The report identifies system-based objectives, and recommendations to increase access to quality mental health services and integrate mental health care within primary care settings.
The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) issued a press release calling on all Canadians to sign a Parity Pledge which will be sent to your Member of Parliament – which calls on the federal government to pass legislation (a Mental Health and Substance Use Health Care For All Parity Act) which will provide funding to expand access to accessible and inclusive publicly-funded mental health and substance use health care programs and services that are evidence-based. See the news conference . Please consider signing the Pledge and/or forwarding it to your colleagues, friends and family.
With a new minority government in place and a recent Speech From the Throne, the CPA has begun the process of engaging a number of relevant Ministers (i.e., Mental Health & Addictions; Health; Innovation, Science & Industry; Environment & Climate Change; Justice & Attorney-General; Indigenous Services) on a range of legislative and policy issues of importance to the CPA. As a member of the Canadian Consortium for Research (CCR), a letter was sent to the Minister of Innovation, Science & Industry.
As part of Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW, October 3-9), and the CPA’s post-election advocacy activities, the association sent a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister Trudeau noting the importance of investing in expanded and timely access to mental health care programs and services. Dr. Karen Cohen (CPA CEO) also had an Op Ed Mental Health Care in Canada: Mending the Access Gaps in The Hill Times – which is read by all Ottawa insiders – which outlines a number of recommendations to close the access gap. As well, in the capacity as Chair of Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health’s (CAMIMH) Public Affairs Committee, Glenn Brimacombe (CPA Director of Policy and Public Affairs) co-wrote an Op Ed on Mental Health Parity, A Time Whose Idea Has Come for The Hill Times. As the new government takes shape, CPA will continue to be active in engaging a broad cross-section of Parliamentarians.
Notwithstanding the calling of a federal election, CPA recently submitted its Brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance as part of the 2022 federal budget consultation process. The submission will have relevance with a new government being formed on September 20th.
In addition, as a member of several strategic partnerships, the CPA played a key role in the writing of other Briefs that were submitted by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Health and Mental Illness (CAMIMH), and the Canadian Consortium of Research (CCR).
The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) released the discussion paper entitled From Out of the Shadows and Into the Light…Achieving Parity in Access to Care Among Mental Health, Substance Use and Physical Health. The document outlines the case for the federal government to introduce a new piece of legislation – a Mental Health and Substance Use Health Care For All Parity Act – and identifies some the elements that could be contained therein to improve access to mental health and substance use health services and supports in Canada. By releasing the report, CAMIMH hopes that it will engender a growing public policy discussion about the role of the federal government, working in close partnership with the provinces and territories, to ensure that Canadians get the care they need, when they need it.
On April 19th, the federal government presented its first budget in more than 24 months. The CPA issued a news release emphasizing that the pandemic recovery will depend on our mental health investments.
The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) also publicly commented on the budget noting that it was a missed opportunity to invest in the mental health of Canadians. The Canadian Consortium on Research (CCR) also expressed concerns about the lack of investment in basic research.
With the passage of Bill C-7 – An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in Dying [MAiD]), the federal government must complete an independent review by experts to consider the safeguards and protocols for requests for MAiD for persons who have a mental illness within the next 12 months. The CPA has written the Minister of Justice and Health requesting that a psychologist, with MAiD expertise be a member of this review. . In 2020, a CPA Task Force released a report on MAID and Practice Guidelines for Psychologists Involved in End-of-Life Decisions.
As part of the federal government’s pre-budget consultation process of which CPA contributed to, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance released its report. Importantly, two of its top five recommendations focused on investing in a long-term mental health COVID-19 recovery plan for all Canadians, and targeted investments that will improve access to primary care, mental health supports and virtual care. It also included a recommendation to provide a one-time 25% increase in funding to the Tri-Councils for research restart and recovery. Hopefully all three will be reflected in the 2021 federal budget.
Given that Prime Minister Trudeau recently signalled the federal government’s willingness to discuss increasing its share of health funding to the provinces and territories, the CPA wrote to the Prime Minister and Premier urging them to increase their investments in mental health services and treatments.
CAMIMIH Letter to Prime Minister and Premiers
The CPA recently released a position paper Addressing Climate Change in Canada: The Importance of Psychological Science . The paper has been shared with the Minister of the Environment and Minister of Health.
Dr. Karen Cohen (CPA CEO) co-Chairs the Disability Advisory Committee (DAC), having been appointed by Canada’s Minister of Revenue at the end of 2017 through 2019, and renewed through 2021. Its mandate is to advise the Minister of National Revenue and the Commissioner of the CRA on the administration and interpretation of policy and programs related to disability tax measures. In the fall of 2020, the DAC has undertaken a series of focus groups with health providers on the committee’s 2019 recommendations on changes to disability tax procedures and legislation. It is also in the process of finalizing its 2020 report. The 2021 federal government budget set aside $376 million over 5 years to update the list of mental functions that is used for the assessment of the Disability Tax Credit.
In advance of the federal government’s Speech from the Throne, the CPA sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasizing the importance of investing in the mental health of Canadians as a high strategic priority.
The CPA submitted its own Brief which included six recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance as part of the 2021 pre-budget consultation process. In addition, as a member of several strategic partnerships, the CPA played a key role in the writing of other Briefs that were submitted by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Health and Mental Illness (CAMIMH), the Canadian Consortium of Research (CCR), Organizations for Health Action (HEAL), and the Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition (EHPC). Convergence of messaging across national organizations signals to the federal government there is consensus about where and how they should invest in the science and practice of psychology that supports the mental health of Canadians.
In August 2020, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) released its Mental Health Action Plan (Better Access and System Performance for Mental Health Services in Canada) , which included six recommendations for the federal government to implement to improve timely access to mental health services and supports in Canada. This is an important example where the national mental health community is speaking with one voice.
The CPA undertook a detailed review of the series of Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) bi-lateral agreements (i.e., the $11 billion over 10 years for home and community care, and mental health and addiction services) that were signed in 2017. It also identifies the key priorities to be addressed by each province and territory.
The CPA reviewed the 2019 Mandate Letters that were issued by the Prime Minister to ministers of the crown that are relevant to the priorities of the association.
The Section on Criminal Justice has met to discuss how to re-engage the federal government and others to amend Section 672.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada to explicitly designate psychologists to be able to perform assessments of fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility. In 2017, the CPA released the following position paper Fitness to Stand Trial and Criminal Responsibility Assessments in Canada: Improving Access to Qualified Mental Health Professionals.
Dr. Karen Cohen (CPA CEO) serves as co-Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) Psychotherapy Policy Implementation Network (PPIN). Its goal is to develop a psychotherapy access action plan focused on the public health care system. She sits on two of their working groups – one on COVID-19 and the other on funding models. Glenn Brimacombe (CPA Director of Policy and Public Affairs, CPA), is a member of the PPIN working group examining structures and funding models that would enable the federal government to fund and/or deliver better access to psychotherapy services.
3. Psychology and Mental Health System Innovation
The CPA, on its own, and with other organizations is working collaboratively to highlight the on-the-ground innovations that psychology is making to the organization, management, funding and delivery of mental health services. Below is a summary of recent activities:
The CPA is pleased to provide members with “Every Number Tells a Story: 2023 Public Policy Survey Results.” With more than 2,300 respondents, the CPA asked members, associates and affiliates, as well as non-members for their views on a wide range of public policy issues (including access to care, MAiD, increasing the supply of psychologists, impact of COVID, psychological research, national licensure, title and scope of practice, and fitness-to-stand-trial and not criminally responsible assessments), the needs of students, and the economics of psychology. Read the survey results here.
The CPA Board of Directors recently approved the release of new Guidelines on Telepsychology. The intent of the guidelines is to provide direction and support to Canadian psychologists in order to enable them to practice, ethically, competently, and reflectively while engaging in a virtual environment. The guidelines replace the Interim Ethical Guidelines for Psychologists Providing Psychological Services Via Electronic Media, approved in 2020.
The CPA, partnering with the Council of Professional Associations of Psychologists (CPAP), commissioned Nanos Research to survey more than 3,000 Canadians to better understand how they perceive the role of psychology, the barriers and solutions to accessing care, and the quality of care they receive. See news release and survey findings.
The CPA, partnering with the Council of Professional Associations of Psychologists (CPAP), commissioned Nanos Research to survey more than 3,000 Canadians to better understand how they are managing their mental health and accessing care from psychologists in a COVID-19 world. See news release and survey findings.
The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), in collaboration with the CPA and the Canadian Psychiatric Association released the report Innovations in Primary Care – Integrating Mental Health Services in Primary Care which features two case studies focused on psychology and primary care (i.e., Dr. Kim Corace and Dr. Robert Shepherd).
4. Psychology and Employer-Based Health Benefits
The CPA engages on a regular basis with insurers to discuss the administration and/or availability of employer-sponsored mental health benefits to their employees.
To better understand the value employees’ place on accessing psychological services and how employers perceived the value of their employee health benefit plans, the CPA released Employees, Employers & the Evidence…The Case for Expanding Coverage for Psychological Services in Canada. The report summarizes the available clinical evidence in support of psychological services, the business case/return-on-investment for employers, and a number of leading practices by employers. Read the news release and full report.
The CPA and Mental Health Commission of Canada collaborated on a research report Extended Mental Health Benefits in Canadian Workplaces: Employee and Employer Perspectives that sought to better understand employee and employer perspectives on access to psychological care. The findings include: 80% of employees felt coverage for psychological care was inadequate; 72% of employees said their mental health improved after receiving psychological care; 60% of employers were confident that mental health coverage provided a good return-on-investment; and 29% of employers increased their mental health coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full report can be found here: https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/resource/extended-mental-health-benefits-in-canadian-workplaces-employee-and-employer-perspectives/
Sun Life recently released the document Shaping group benefits: Employer insights that are helping guide the plans of the future, which is intended to help employers shape their (health) benefits for employees. Importantly, following discussions initiated by CPA, Sun Life included the CPA’s recommendation to increase coverage for psychological services to $3,500-$4,000. Many employers currently cap their coverage in the $500-$1,000 range. This step is an important recognition by one of Canada’s largest insurers of the value to employers in providing meaningful amounts of coverage for psychological services.
Dr. Karen Cohen (CPA CEO) provided a perspective on whether “employees are being prescribed too much medication for mental-health issues?”
The CPA, in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Conference Board of Canada have developed a survey of employees and employers; in the former to better understand the availability of psychological services, and in the latter, to better understand the strategic issues that are at play when it comes to employer decisions regarding coverage.
5. Working with Provincial-Territorial Psychological Associations
Usually at the request of the provincial-territorial psychologists associations, the CPA is pleased work collaboratively to address issues of mutual interest/concern to the profession.
In January, the Premiers launched Promising Practices which focuses on innovations in one of the provinces or territories in addressing mental health and substance use with an emphasis on rural, remote or northern communities. CPA member Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos was featured in March. The CPA congratulated Premier Silver (Yukon) for leading this important initiative.
CPA submitted a letter to the New Brunswick government detailing our position on psychological test use and opposing the sections of the Bill [https://cpa.ca/cpa-statement-on-new-brunswicks-bill-35/] which proposes that qualified teachers be able to administer level C tests.
“The Canadian Psychological Association’s guidance paper on psychological test safety describes the training necessary to use psychological tests as part of an assessment of an individual’s cognitive, emotional and behavioural functioning. It is the CPA’s position that psychologists are uniquely trained to undertake psychological assessments, which include, but are not limited to the administration of a single test. The CPA opposes any diagnostic, treatment or remedial decisions made on the basis of the results of a single psychological test alone.”
The CPA and the Psychologists Association of Alberta (PAA) co-signed a letter that was sent to the Provincial Minister of Education outlining our mutual concerns about the Calgary Board of Education’s decision to lay-off psychologists.
The CPA convened a Task Force to review the use of title (i.e. psychologist) within the profession of psychology. In March 2020, the CPA released the report CPA Task Force on Title: Model Language Suggestions which includes recommendations for: consistency in the legislated exemptions across the provinces and territories; and collaboration with its provincial and territorial psychology association partners to advocate for the adoption of this exemption model across the country.
The CPA and the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) and the Canadian Academy of Psychologists in Disability Assessment (CAPDA) wrote a letter to express their profound concerns over the September 2018 motion approved by the Council of the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) to continue registration of psychology practitioners at the master’s level and, further, to grant then the title “Psychologist”. This 2018 motion overturns a 2013 decision of the Council to stop registering master’s practitioners of psychology.
6. Developing Members’ Advocacy Skills
In addition to the advocacy work that the CPA undertakes on your behalf, the Association strongly believes it is important to invest in, and equip, our members and affiliates with the knowledge, strategies and tools they need to be an effective advocate. For this reason, the CPA has created the Very Involved Psychologist (VIP) and Very Involved Psychological Researcher (VIPR) program. As part of that program, we have developed a toolkit to assist members in building their advocacy skill set and/or confirming their approach.
Non-Members can read more about the toolkit here – https://cpa.ca/advocacy/#Toolkit
Members can access the toolkit by signing into the CPA’s Members Only site here – https://secure.cpa.ca/apps/Pages/advocacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7tsHuQRER0
Attaining and engaging in advocacy skills enables students to make significant contributions to society and public policy, including the ability to connect, collaborate, inspire, and work with their communities. This workshop will provide opportunities for students to gain and continually develop skills in the following key areas: leadership, advocacy, and networking.
Presented by: Joanna Collaton, Alejandra Botia, Alanna K Chu, and Glenn Brimacombe.
Originally Presented as part of the CPA’s Virtual Convention, June 22, 2021.
The CPA, in launching its new Very Involved Psychologist (VIP)/Psychology Researcher (VIPR) in 2019 has attracted close to 20 members. In addition to meeting with members both bilaterally and as a group, staff are in the process of revising CPA’s Advocacy Guide and developing a more detailed program of work. The updated guide is designed to encourage psychologists toward greater political participation and provides basic tools and strategies for bringing forward (policy) issues to governments. Members who are interested in participating in this program should contact Glenn Brimacombe.
7. Public Speaking
In addition to speaking with the media, representatives of CPA are frequently invited to speak at Conferences and other public events to provide the perspective of psychology in the context of an evolving public health system, and/or employer health benefits plans. Recently, CPA spoke at the following meetings:
Funded through the Canadian Health Workforce Network (CHWN) and the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) Glenn Brimacombe (CPA Director, Policy and Public Affairs, and a member of the Advisory Committee) was on a panel discussing the strengths, challenges and opportunities of the project.
Dr. Karen Cohen (CPA CEO) was part of an expert panel discussing mental health in the workplace and its associated challenges, strategies and solutions.
Glenn Brimacombe (CPA Director, Policy and Public Affairs) presented jointly with Dr. Sam Mikail (Director, Mental Health Solutions, Sub Life) on the issue of Removing Barriers: Creating a Group Benefits Plan that Promotes Timely Access to Mental Health Care.