Statement on the release of the report on Mental Health Services in Rural Yukon by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada

Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee has issued the following statement:

“The release today of the Report on Mental Health Services in Rural Yukon by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) is welcome news for our government, and for the territory.

“The report is favourable overall and offers positive support for the progress we have made since 2016 in improving mental health and substance use services in rural Yukon communities. It acknowledges that we have successfully increased access to mental health and substance use services through the hub model while recognizing that the hubs had only been operational for two and a half years at the time of the audit.

“The report includes four recommendations to address community consultation and engagement around services; create a robust recruitment and retention strategy for rural staffing; develop and implement a plan for working with First Nations to increase cultural safety in service delivery; and establish, measure and report on the performance of mental health services in rural Yukon.

“We acknowledge more work is needed to improve mental health services throughout the Yukon. The recommendations from the OAG will help us achieve our goal to improve mental health and substance use services in all Yukon communities.

“Work has already begun to address the four recommendations and we have already identified areas for improvement. Our four mental wellness and substance use hubs have established a strong foundation for expanded services for rural Yukoners and we look forward to building on that foundation to improve mental health across the territory.”