Every year on October 10, World Mental Health Day provides an opportunity to recognize the importance of mental health in our workplaces, our communities, and our daily lives. Announced by the World Federation for Mental Health, this year’s theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” highlights the importance of listening to those who have firsthand experience with mental health challenges, and ensuring their voices help shape meaningful policy and systemic change.
For USJE, this message resonates deeply. Across the country, our members perform demanding work in public safety, corrections, national security, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system. Many are routinely exposed to traumatic incidents, distressing material, and high-pressure environments as part of their commitment to keeping Canadians safe.
On this World Mental Health Day, USJE is reaffirming its call for stronger protections and support for federal public safety professionals who experience work-related psychological injuries. In its 2026 federal pre-budget submission, USJE urged the Government of Canada to modernize the Government Employees Compensation Act (GECA) to improve access to workers’ compensation for federal public safety personnel suffering from occupational stress injuries and other work-related mental health conditions.
Too many workers continue to face barriers when seeking recognition and treatment for psychological injuries sustained on the job. As a result, some suffer in silence, rely on sick leave or disability benefits as their only avenue for recovery, or leave the public service altogether. USJE believes that timely access to workers’ compensation and trauma-informed mental health supports is critical for not only workers and their families, but for Canada’s public safety system as a whole.
This World Mental Health Day, we recognize the courage of all workers who have shared their experiences with mental health injuries and recovery. Their stories emphasize a simple truth: when lived experiences are heard, meaningful change becomes possible.