Advocacy Doesn’t Take a Summer Break: Now Is the Time to Speak Up for Brain Injury
Parliament may be on its summer recess, but advocacy doesn’t stop and neither does brain injury.
With the House of Commons adjourned, Members of Parliament are back in their ridings, meeting with constituents, attending community events, and listening to the issues that matter most to the people they represent. This makes summer a critical opportunity to raise awareness, build support, and advocate for meaningful action on brain injury.
Brain injury does not care about political party lines. It affects Canadians of every age, every background, every province and territory, and every community. A National Strategy on Brain Injury is not a partisan issue, it is about ensuring that Canadians have access to better prevention, timely diagnosis, effective rehabilitation, and the long-term supports they need to live well.
Regardless of which party your MP represents, your voice matters. MPs are elected to represent their communities, and hearing directly from constituents helps shape the issues they bring forward in Ottawa. When communities speak up, decision-makers listen.
This summer, we are asking individuals, families, caregivers, professionals, and organizations across Canada to take action:
- Write to your Member of Parliament and ask them to support Bill C-206, An Act to establish a National Strategy on Brain Injuries.
- Request a meeting with your MP to share why a national strategy matters to your community.
- Start a conversation at a community event, with your networks, or online about the urgent need for coordinated action on brain injury.
Your experience and your voice matters. Together, we can ensure that brain injury remains a national priority when Parliament returns this fall.
To make it easier to get involved, we have developed templates that you can personalize and send directly to your MP:
Not sure who your Member of Parliament is? You can find your MP by searching your postal code here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en
Advocacy doesn’t stop when Parliament takes a break and neither does the need for action on brain injury. Let’s use this summer to raise our voices, build support for a National Strategy, and keep brain injury at the forefront of the conversation.
By establishing a comprehensive strategy, we can enhance prevention, promote research, and improve care, ultimately leading to better outcomes for Canadians living with brain injuries.
A national strategy on brain injury would:
- Standardize data on both the incidence rate and prevalence of brain injury across the lifespan to better understand the challenges and needs of the community, informing policy and health care resource allocation effectively.
- Provide more education and awareness specific to brain injury to equip healthcare providers, including newcomers to Canada, with knowledge about the cognitive, physical, behavioral, and emotional challenges of living with a brain injury so they can offer more informed and customized care.
- Allocate research funding specifically to brain injury and focus research across the lifespan of brain injury from acute to chronic stages, supporting multi-centre studies and investigating community-based interventions that are cost-effective.
- Address intersections such as mental health, homelessness/unstable housing, legal system interaction, and problematic substance use, with an emphasis on brain injury as a contributing factor.
- Provide comprehensive education on prevention and implement preventative measures in appropriate fields/settings.
- Ensure that all initiatives are driven by lived experiences and that individuals and families feel supported by the Canadian health care system.
- Improve public understanding and awareness of brain injury among Canadians, supporting the dismantling of harmful stigmas and wider acknowledgment and incorporation of accessible accommodations.
A history of national strategy advocacy
Bill C-277
In 2022, Bill C-277 was introduced to Parliament in a First Reading. In June 2024, the Bill passed with a unanimous vote in the House of Commons. In the Fall of 2024, it was then passed by the Standing Committee on Health with minimal amendments.
On January 6 2025, the Parliament of Canada was prorogued by the Governor General. This means the current session of legislative work was stopped. With the call for an election on March 23, 2025, Bill C-277 – An Act to Establish a National Strategy on Brain Injuries has officially died on the Order Paper and will no longer progress in this session.
While this outcome is disappointing, it’s important to pause and reflect on the remarkable milestones we achieved together:
- Nationwide Support: There has been a tremendous wave of advocacy and support for the Bill from Canadians across the country.
- Cross-Party Endorsement: Members of Parliament from all parties spoke in favour of the Bill, acknowledging the needs of their constituents living with brain injuries.
- Unanimous Approval: The Bill passed a unanimous vote in the House of Commons.
- Successful Committee Review: The Bill advanced through the Standing Committee on Health with minimal amendments.
- Elevated Awareness: Brain injury now holds an increased profile at the federal level, setting the stage for future action.
We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported this Bill throughout its journey. Your efforts, advocacy, and dedication were instrumental in advancing this cause and making brain injury a priority on the national stage.
Looking ahead, Brain Injury Canada remains firm and motivated in the fight for a National Strategy on Brain Injury. As we prepare for the next parliamentary session following the federal election that will happen at some point in 2025, we are committed to working with all political parties to ensure this critical Bill is reintroduced and passed.
Our advocacy will not stop. We will continue collaborating with the brain injury community to keep brain injury at the forefront of federal priorities—during the election, throughout the transition to the 45th Parliamentary Session, and beyond.
Thank you for your unwavering support. We will keep you updated on our progress and next steps. Together, we will see this through.
