Today I rise on behalf of the Liberal caucus to also pay tribute to Mental Illness Awareness Week, which is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the realities of mental illness. The week was established in 1992 by the Canadian Psychiatric Association and is now coordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health in cooperation with all of its members, organizations and other supporters across Canada.

One of MIAW’s major initiatives is the Faces of Mental Illness campaign, a national outreach campaign featuring the stories of Canadians living in recovery from mental illness. Thousands of pieces of MIAW posters, brochures and bookmarks featuring the faces are dissimilated to hundreds of organizations across Canada in an effort to raise awareness and to end the stigma that’s attached to mental illness.

Locally, this week is being marked with events tonight at the Beringia Centre and later this week at the Yukon College. There is also a caregiver support group open house at 4 Hospital Road on October 30 at 7:00 p.m. to support families and friends of those who live with mental illness.