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Bill 176, Maternal Mental Health Act, 2021

Karpoche, Bhutila

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Status

Debates

Original

Bill 176 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill proclaims the first Wednesday of May in each year as Maternal Mental

Health Day.

The

Bill requires the Minister of Health to conduct a comprehensive review of

maternal mental health in Ontario and prepare a Provincial Framework and Action

Plan on the issue. The Bill requires the Minister to report to the Assembly

periodically about the progress of the review and to table the Provincial

Framework and Action Plan in the Assembly.

Bill 176 2020

Act to proclaim Maternal Mental Health Day and to require a review of maternal

mental health in Ontario and the preparation of a Provincial Framework and

Action Plan

Ontario, as many as one in five new mothers experience some type of maternal

mental illness, such as perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, during pregnancy

and in the first 12 months following childbirth. Frequently, maternal mental

illness goes unnoticed and untreated, causing negative impacts for the mental

and physical health and wellbeing of both mother and child.

Cis-gendered

women and trans men who give birth can experience maternal mental illness. Mothers of every

culture, age, income level and race can develop perinatal mood and anxiety

disorders. However, marginalized populations, such as LGBTQ2S+ people, members

of the Indigenous community, the Black community and other racialized

communities, adolescents, mothers with histories of substance use, immigrants,

refugees, and individuals with disabilities, may experience maternal mental

illness at higher rates.

Maternal

mental illness is impacted and compounded by the social determinants of health

such as income, housing, employment, education, early childhood development,

perinatal health care, community and social supports and by structural

determinants such as family

policy, employment policy, income support, social insurance policy and

education policy.

Newcomer

mothers who are removed from traditional family and cultural support tend to

experience higher levels of perinatal depression. Cultural factors have been

found to have a strong influence on promoting positive perinatal mental health

outcomes.

Maternal

mental illness is treatable and the negative impacts can be mitigated with

timely access to diagnosis, treatment and support services. However, up to 85

per cent of mothers with maternal mental illnesses go untreated. The stigma of

mental illness prevents mothers from seeking assistance and many mothers are

not aware they are suffering from a mental illness. Therefore, it is important

to heighten awareness of the prevalence of maternal mental illness and the

effective and well-researched prevention and treatment options available to

mothers.

proclaiming the first Wednesday in May of each year as Maternal Mental Health

Day and by requiring the Minister of Health to review the state of maternal

mental health in Ontario and implement a Provincial Framework and Action Plan,

the Province of Ontario highlights the importance of maternal mental health

with the goal of enhancing the quality of care and improving the mental health

of mothers.

Therefore,

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of

the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Maternal

Mental Health Day

The

first Wednesday of May in each year is proclaimed as Maternal Mental Health

Day.

Minister’s

review of maternal mental health

(1) The

Minister of Health shall, within two months after this Act comes into force, begin

a comprehensive review of maternal mental health in Ontario.

Progress

reports to Assembly

(2) Within

six months after this Act comes into force, and at least once every six months

after that, the Minister shall report to the Assembly respecting the progress

of the review during the relevant reporting period.

Provincial

Framework and Action Plan

(1) Using

the results of the review described in

section 2, the Minister of Health shall

prepare a Provincial Framework and Action Plan for improving maternal mental

health in Ontario with particular focus on improving health care services relating

to maternal postpartum depression.

Tabling

in Assembly, publication

(2) The

Minister shall table the Provincial Framework and Action Plan in the Assembly

and shall publish it on a website of the Government of Ontario.

Implementation

(3) The

Minister shall ensure that the Government implements the Provincial Framework

and Action Plan.

One-time

review

(4) The

Minister shall review the Provincial Framework and Action Plan within five years

after it is published and shall make any amendments the Minister determines are

necessary in order to improve maternal mental health in Ontario.

Tabling

in Assembly, publication

(5) The

Minister shall table the amended Provincial Framework and Action Plan in the

Assembly and shall publish it on a website of the Government of Ontario.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Maternal Mental Health

Act, 2020 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

April 19, 2021

Second Reading

Vote

Lost on division

April 15, 2021

Second Reading

Deferred vote

April 15, 2021

Second Reading

Debated

February 25, 2020

First Reading

Vote

Carried

Debates and Progress

First Reading

February 25, 2020

Committee

Second Reading

April 15, 2021

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche, Mrs. Robin Martin, Miss Monique Taylor, Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens, Ms. Doly Begum

Vote deferred.

April 19, 2021

Lost on recorded division.

Committee

Third Reading

Royal Assent

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