Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
In 2022, Kids Brain Health Network leaders met with federal government officials to share research findings and policy recommendations
KBHN CEO, Nicola Lewis and KBHN CSO, Dr. James Reynolds met with Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, to make policy recommendations for the COVID-19 recovery plan. Also present were Heather Jeffrey (Associate Deputy Minister of Health, Health Canada) and Rhonda Kropp (Associate Vice President of Research-Strategy, CIHR). In October, KBHN submitted the policy brief from this meeting to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA) for their study on Children’s Health.
KBHN also strengthened government relations by meeting with policy advisors in the office of François Phillippe-Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada—the branch of government responsible for the Strategic Science Fund (SSF). KBHN was invited to submit an application for the second round of the SSF competition in September, and we await the results.
Minister Bennet later hosted a meeting with Nora Spinks, KBHN researcher Dr. Chaya Kulkarni and Dr. James Reynolds–all members of the National Leadership Table for Infant Early Mental Health Promotion (IEMPH) at the Hospital for Sick Children, where Chaya is the Director of IEMPH.
Chaya spoke about putting knowledge into action when it comes to the importance of early brain development and infant mental health, and responded to the Minister’s questions about establishing national standards for mental health. “A lot of work has already gone into creating a competency framework for practitioners who support the development of young children,” says Chaya, “and this is built into the training and education programs offered by IEMHP.” James reminded Minister Bennet of KBHN’s commitment to implementing research innovations into practice, and she promised to raise the question of infant mental health in an upcoming meeting planned with provincial ministries.
Supported by the KBHN Training Program the KBHN-AAC Policy Fellows also engaged with federal priorities, making contributions to a National Autism Strategy released by the government this year, in time for the National Autism Conference in November.
In a Chamber speech made to the Canadian Senate about Bill S-253, Nova Scotian Senator Colin Deacon–former vice-chair of KBHN’s Board of Directors–spoke about the importance of a National FASD Strategy. He named Kids Brain Health Network as a valuable contributor to research and implementation of early intervention and effective treatments. Senator Deacon also emphasized the importance of having a pan-disability response for those impacted by neurodevelopmental disabilities, to prevent competition for “too-scarce resources” among disability groups.
“We have made substantial strides to enhance our relations with the federal government this year,” says Nicola Lewis, CEO of Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN), “and we have been making inroads to inform policy.”
