In September 2015, Teamsters Canada launched a national social media campaign called Make it Mandatory to convince Parliament to make mental health awareness and support in the workplace mandatory. As a result, the Teamsters Union and its members have multiplied their representations to federal elected officials over the years in order to move this important issue forward.
Today is the 18th World Suicide Prevention Day. It is another opportunity to remember how important every life is.
All of us, in our families and among our friends, have faced mental illness and human distress. The COVID-19 pandemic has made our lives even more fragile as we collectively faced an unprecedented crisis.
The distress caused by this crisis makes all the small things we can do to help those in need even more important. And because every life counts, we must not be afraid to express our suffering and ask health professionals to help us.
This World Suicide Prevention Day concerns all of us: it encourages us to get involved with each other and to unite to raise awareness about suicide prevention.
François Laporte
President of Teamsters Canada
Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
