Bill C-277, also known as the National Strategy on Brain Injuries Act, aims to create a national plan to improve how Canada addresses brain injuries. The plan will focus on making people more aware of brain injuries, preventing them from happening, and improving treatment and recovery for those who have experienced a brain injury.
The Minister of Health will lead the creation of this plan. They will work with provincial health officials, Indigenous groups, and other important groups to develop it. The plan will include ways to prevent brain injuries, train healthcare workers, improve research, share information, and create national guidelines for treatment.
The strategy will also aim to educate the public, protect the rights of people with brain injuries, and support brain injury associations. It will encourage mental health support in schools, sports, and workplaces. The strategy will also look at problems that can result from brain injuries like mental health issues, addiction, homelessness, and crime, and try to find solutions.
The Minister of Health will create a report outlining the strategy within 18 months of the Act coming into force. This report will be presented to Parliament and published online. After five years, the Minister will evaluate how well the strategy is working and create another report with conclusions and recommendations.
Crime
The national strategy will identify challenges resulting from brain injury, such as criminality, including intimate partner violence, and work to develop solutions in collaboration with stakeholders.