If elected, the Conservative Party is promising it will encourage employers to add mental-health coverage to their benefits plans by offering a tax credit for 25 per cent of the cost of this additional coverage for the first three years.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party is promising Canadians increased access to free mental-health services through a new mental-health transfer to provinces and territories. According to its federal election platform, the party would commit to permanent, ongoing funding for mental-health services through the transfer, with an initial investment of $4.5 billion over five years.
Read: NDP promising universal pharmacare, Conservatives looking to double EI sickness benefits
In addition, the Liberals said they would review access to disability benefits and programs to ensure availability of resources for people experiencing mental-health challenges. The party would also establish a fund to support the mental health of Black Canadians in the public service. And it would partner with federally regulated employers and labour groups to co-develop a right-to-disconnect policy for workers.
And the New Democratic Party said it would cover the cost of mental-health prescriptions under its proposed pharmacare plan, while providing mental-health care for uninsured Canadians at no cost.
Read: Pandemic highlights need to settle on right-to-disconnect rules: labour minister