Bouma introduces a Private Member’s Bill to raise awareness for PTSD

For immediate release:
July 31, 2018

QUEEN’S PARK — Brantford-Brant’s MPP introduced his first Private Member’s Bill in the Legislature today to raise awareness for post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating anxiety disorder which can occur after a person has experienced a traumatic event. Common among veterans, first responders, dispatchers and survivors of sexual violence, PTSD, similar to other mental illnesses, still faces stigmatization which prevents sufferers from seeking the help they need in order to combat this terrible affliction,” Bouma stated during first reading of the Bill.

PTSD has become an important global health issue and the prevalence of it is gaining in awareness. In Canada, between 1.1 and 3.5 per cent of the general population is thought to have PTSD. In 2016, Ontario amended the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 to include PTSD as a workplace injury among first responders if it arises out of and in the course of the worker’s employment.

The MPP went on to say, “This Private Member’s Bill will raise awareness and help deal with the stigma attached to PTSD and hopefully lead to more fulsome conversations about it in the workplace, at home and in society. This Bill will proclaim June 27th in Ontario as PTSD Awareness Day annually.”

The Private Member’s Bill passed first reading in the Ontario legislature and is up for second reading debate this Thursday, August 2nd.
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Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kfezjGprWg

For more information, contact MPP Will Bouma at 519-759-0361 or will.bouma@pc.ola.org