Bill C-280 Mental Health Parity Act
C-280 An Act to Enact the Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Services Act and to Make Consequential Amendments to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act
Short Title: Mental Health Parity Act
Bill Type: Private Member’s Bill
Bill Sponsor: Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni)
Status: Outside the Order of Precedence — Introduced June 3, 2026. This Bill has not passed yet.
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What is this Bill For?
Bill C-280 would require provinces to cover mental health, addiction and substance use services under their public health insurance plans — the same way they cover physical health services today. Right now, the Canada Health Act requires Provinces to insure doctor visits and hospital care, but it does not require them to cover community-based mental health services. This Bill creates a parallel set of rules specifically for mental health and addiction care and ties Federal health transfer funding to whether Provinces meet those rules.
WHO GAINS POWER
- The Federal Minister of Health gains authority to assess whether Provinces are meeting the new mental health criteria and to recommend funding reductions if they are not
- The Governor in Council gains the power to reduce or withhold Federal health transfer payments to Provinces that don't comply
- Canadians gain a legal entitlement to publicly insured mental health, addiction and substance use services on the same basis as physical health care
WHO LOSES POWER
- Provinces lose flexibility in how they design and fund mental health services — they must meet Federally defined criteria to receive full transfer payments
- Provinces cannot permit extra-billing or user charges for insured mental health services without losing Federal funding
- Provincial Governments lose the ability to prioritize or de-prioritize mental health funding without financial consequence
WHO GAINS MONEY
- Canadians who currently pay out of pocket for mental health and addiction services gain access to publicly funded coverage
- Mental health practitioners and community service providers gain a larger publicly funded patient base
- Provinces that already meet the criteria continue to receive full Federal health transfer payments
WHO LOSES MONEY
- Provinces that do not currently cover mental health services to the required standard risk losing a portion of their Canada Health Transfer payments
- Private mental health providers who currently charge user fees may lose that revenue stream if Provinces are required to cover those services publicly
THE CATCH
⚠️ "Prescribed by regulation" is undefined — The Bill repeatedly allows the Minister to prescribe additional mental health services by regulation, without requiring a vote in Parliament. The full scope of what Provinces must cover can expand without Legislative approval.
⚠️ Federal funding lever, not a spending guarantee — This Bill does not require the Federal Government to increase Health Transfer funding. It only sets conditions on existing transfers. Provinces may be required to cover more services with the same money.
⚠️ Compliance timelines are vague — The Bill requires the Minister to consult with Provinces before acting, but sets no hard deadline for when compliance must be achieved. A Province could remain non-compliant for an extended period before penalties apply.
⚠️ No definition of "reasonable access" — The accessibility criterion requires "reasonable access" to mental health services, but the definition of what counts as reasonable is left to regulation. This gives the Minister significant discretion to set and change the standard without Parliament's input.
This Bill is Outside the Order of Precedence and is unlikely to be debated unless drawn in the PMB lottery.