Call on Ottawa to Launch Canada’s First National Suicide Prevention Strategy - Canadian Association For Suicide Prevention

CASP and Dr. Allison Crawford Call on Ottawa to Launch Canada’s First National Suicide Prevention Strategy in Budget 2025

Thursday, August 28, 2025 – The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) in partnership with Allison Crawford, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, are urging the federal government to seize a historic opportunity in Budget 2025: establish, fund and implement a five-year National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2025–2030).

Despite years of advocacy, Canada remains one of the few OECD countries without a comprehensive national suicide prevention strategy. Each year, more than 4,500 Canadians die by suicide, leaving tens of thousands of families, friends and communities grieving. The direct and indirect economic costs exceed $1 million per death, with ripple effects that touch every Canadian.

“Suicide is preventable. Canada has the evidence, the frameworks, and the community will to act. What has been missing is sustained federal leadership,” said Andrew Perez, Interim Executive Director of CASP. “Budget 2025 can be a turning point moving us from piecemeal initiatives to a coordinated national response that saves lives.”

A Roadmap to Saving Lives

The joint pre-budget submission, also signed by CASP’s Board President, Dr. Jeffrey Ansloos, lays out a blueprint for action calling on the Government of Canada to:

Establish a National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2025–2030) with clear accountability and sustained funding.

Create a national coordinating body with authority across federal departments, partnerships with provinces, territories and Indigenous governments, and meaningful inclusion of people with lived and living experience.

Set measurable national targets, including a five-year suicide mortality reduction goal and specific sub-targets for priority populations such as youth, men, Indigenous peoples and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Targets should include reduced suicide mortality, with attention to distinction, populations and regions with increased suicide risk. Indicators should also extend to social determinants of suicide, such as service access.

Invest across seven core evidence-based components: public awareness, media education, service access, community capacity, means restriction, training and monitoring and evaluation, and upstream interventions on the social determinants of health.

Embed equity, anti-racism, anti-ableism and Indigenous leadership ensuring culturally safe, community-defined approaches.

Provide predictable federal funding recommending at least $60 million to complement Ottawa’s previous $177 million investment in the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline. In addition, advocate for ongoing funding of the 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline and the critical suicide prevention that it provides.

Closing Gaps in Canada’s Current Approach

While recent federal efforts, namely the Suicide Prevention Framework and National Suicide Prevention Action Plan (2024–2027) represent progress, experts warn they remain insufficient. These measures lack clear accountability, measurable targets, cross-sectoral coordination and adequate funding.

“Decades of international research are clear: when governments adopt national suicide prevention strategies, suicide rates decline,” said Dr. Crawford. “Scotland saw an 18 per cent reduction over ten years, while Finland cut rates by nine per cent. Canada has fallen behind, but we know what works and how to implement it.”

Learning from Global Leaders

In February 2025, the Australian government announced a new National Suicide Prevention Strategy backed by $69 million in public funding. Other countries, from Scotland to Finland, have shown measurable results in suicide prevention initiatives by combining evidence-based interventions with strong federal leadership.

CASP believes that Ottawa must follow suit with a strategy that includes not only crisis supports like the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, but that also includes preventive initiatives in schools, workplaces and across Indigenous communities and healthcare systems.

The Time to Act is Now

Every suicide is a preventable loss leaving behind profound impacts on families and communities. Research shows that each death by suicide can deeply affect up to 20 people and touch as many as 135 individuals.

Canada has the evidence, frameworks and community-will to act decisively on suicide prevention. The gaps are not in the evidence, but in national coordination, measurable targets and sustained investment at the federal level.

“This is not simply a matter of policy – it’s a matter of life and death,” added Perez. “Canada must no longer lag behind. We owe it to every Canadian, especially those at highest risk, to invest in solutions that are proven to save lives.”

“We know what works. What we need now is political will and federal leadership,” stressed Dr. Crawford. “Budget 2025 is our chance to build a strategy that reflects Canada’s values: equity, compassion and a commitment to protecting life.”

About CASP

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) is a pan-Canadian registered charity at the forefront of suicide prevention, intervention, postvention and life promotion initiatives for more than 40 years. CASP envisions a Canada without Suicide and a world in which people enjoy an optimal quality of life, are long-living, socially responsible and optimistic about the future. Governed by a dedicated Board of Directors, CASP is supported by several dynamic committees, advisory and working groups. Since 1990, CASP has convened a national suicide prevention conference annually in a different Canadian region. 

To learn more about CASP, its advocacy, communication and education efforts, contact us.   

Media Contact

Andrew Perez
Interim Executive Director

Read the Budget Submission