Canadian Mental Health Association
Canadian non-profit organization
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a Canadian non-profit mental health organization that focuses on resources, programs and advocacy. It was founded on April 22, 1918, by Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally named the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, it is one of the largest and oldest non-profit mental health organizations operating in Canada.
Each year, CMHA divisions and branches across Canada provide service to more than 1.3 million Canadians annually through the combined efforts of more than 10,000 volunteers and 5,000 staff in locally run organizations in more than 300 communities in every province. Its functions are to provide the resources and programs necessary to combat mental health issues and support recovery. The CMHA runs multiple programs a year focused on raising awareness for mental health issues while supporting partner organizations and relevant initiatives. The association is also known to release public statements addressing different laws, regulations, and governmental initiatives that affect mental health.
History
Creation
The Canadian Mental Health Association originally started as the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene (CNCMH) in response to the hundreds of soldiers returning from World War I experiencing mental illness. Veterans were placed in prisons and asylums and Clarence M. Hincks noticed the lack of support, doctors and treatment inside these institutions, thus creating the need to change. Hincks, unsure how to proceed, partnered with Clifford W. Beers who had experience in the National Committee of Mental Hygiene in the United States to bring mental hygiene to Canada.
The public source identifies “Canadian Mental Health Association” as canadian non-profit organization. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Canadian, Mental and Health.
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Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q253138. VIAF identifies the subject as 140565640. The Library of Congress control number is n50039348. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1918.
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This entry incorporates text from “Canadian Mental Health Association” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.