Initiate aims to motivate Canadian business leaders to address mental illness in the workplace
The signing of the ground-breaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) kicked off the cross-Canada Mental Health at Work Challenge.
The partners will make their way across Canada to meet with business leaders and reward those executives and employees who have taken immediate action to implement mental health at work standards by participating in the challenge.
The MOU outlines a commitment by employers that will help them protect and improve the psychological health and safety of their employees. It aims to help reduce the $51-billion annual cost from lost productivity and health care.
"One in five Canadians will be touched by mental illness or mental health related problems in their lifetime so we know this is a societal issue that affects families," says Patrick Cashman, President and General Manager, Lundbeck Canada.
"But it also affects the economy. In fact, for Canadian companies, mental illness and mental health related problems impact four per cent of the working population and equates to $20 billion GDP in lost productivity."
As part of a “coordinated assault” to change the face of health care in Canada, a panel discussion was also held.
The MOU was signed by Margaret Trudeau, along with representatives from the Economic Club of Canada, Lundbeck Canada, Excellence Canada, Cookson James Loyalty and Mental Health International.
