Written Submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the Upcoming Federal Budget 2026
The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), representing over 20,500 members across Canada, urges the federal government to invest in three targeted measures that will reduce long-term costs, strengthen public safety, and support a resilient, inclusive economy. These recommendations are:
- Recommendation 1: That the government amends federal policies and legislation to include social workers as Public Safety Personnel (PSP)
- Recommendation 2: That the government undertake a national study on mental health, substance use and addiction parity to guide future federal investments
- Recommendation 3: That the government invest in a social work sector study to support health human resource planning
Introduction
CASW represents a profession that is directly embedded in the day-to-day social and financial economy. CASW urges the federal government to prioritize investments in infrastructure that brings down long-term costs, ensure public safety, supports workforce participation, diversifies economic activity, and fosters a strong, inclusive Canadian economy.
CASW recognizes this government’s achievements. Already, this government has established national priorities related to housing and cost of living. Important commitments, such as childcare, the Canadian Disability Benefit and the Canada Dental Care Plan have been protected. Moreover, this government has laid out strategic directions focused on sovereignty, effectiveness and efficiency. It is evident that Canada will secure its future globally through research, innovation and technology.
CASW further acknowledges the government's commitment to improving its response to the ongoing opioid crisis and to addressing growing wait times across health, mental health, and broader wellbeing services, while recognizing that Canadians continue to call for meaningful change for Indigenous, Black, and other equity-denied communities.
CASW further applauds the impetus to measure impact and accountability of federal dollars. With the number of investments flowing to the provinces across a spectrum of initiatives, now is the time to create the conditions, including permanent structures, to facilitate success and, importantly, to ascertain whether success has been achieved.
To align with the federal government’s core goals of keeping communities safe, and building one strong Canadian economy, CASW recommends investment in the following:
Recommendation 1: That the government amends federal policies and legislation to include social workers as Public Safety Personnel (PSP) which would include them in federally supported research, prevention, treatment and family supports.
In 2020, the Government of Canada announced a national action plan for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). CASW supported a renewed commitment to the Action Plan as well as the significant funding focused on researching and implementing evidence informed prevention and treatment of PTSD for public safety personnel (PSP). However, CASW is concerned that social workers are not included in the Government’s definition of PSP.
Although the Government of Canada’s plans were informed by consultations, social workers do not appear in the list of witnesses who informed the foundation of subsequent plans or investment. This exclusion hinders the Government’s ability to fulfill its mandate for public safety because it contradicts Operational Stress Injury (OSI) research about social workers as well as evidence demonstrating the vital role of social workers in public safety.
Currently PSP are defined as firefighters, police officers, paramedics, correctional officers, public safety communications personnel, operational and intelligence personnel, border services officers, and Indigenous emergency managers. Most of Canada’s public safety personnel identify as men and most social workers identify as women.
Despite the Government of Canada’s commitment to a Gender Based Analysis Plus and acknowledgement that “social workers, and other health care providers witness trauma, pain, suffering, and/or death on a regular basis in their work to care for the health of individuals, families, and communities”, social workers remain excluded from the research and benefits afforded to other PSP covered in the framework. Excluding social workers from Canada’s definition of PSP, contributes to an existing gender bias and is incongruent with GBA Plus.
Social workers are embedded into emergency, first and trauma response interventions, such as policing, and therefore encounter acute and chronic trauma alongside other first responders. Significantly, social workers are faced with high-risk situations where their actions impact the life, health and safety of Canadians; these Canadians are often the most vulnerable people including children, seniors, victims of violence, people from marginalized communities and people at risk of suicide.
Social workers are often the first to respond and investigate situations of extreme physical, sexual and psychological abuse. In these circumstances social workers frequently are called upon to complete emergency investigations, often without the accompaniment of law enforcement.
CASW acknowledges this government’s commitment to evidence informed policy and therefore highlights the importance of research that consistently demonstrates the significant human and economic benefits of social work. A promise to public safety without social workers does not align with either human or economic strategies.
Additionally, research indicates that demand for mental health support continues to exceed supply. Canada faces a shortage of mental health professionals, such as social workers, who have the training, credentials, and specialized expertise to provide trauma-sensitive programming.Without supporting social workers’ mental health, Canada undermines its ability to provide effective trauma responses, not only for PSP, but also for their families. Keeping communities safe means recognizing social workers as integral to crisis response and frontline mental health support. This investment decreases burnout and absenteeism among key staff, strengthens communities' capacity to manage emergencies, and fosters safer, more resilient environments for all Canadians.
Recommendation 2: That the government undertake a national study on mental health, substance use and addiction parity, including legislative options, funding scenarios, and performance measures to inform the design of future investments and legislation.
Canadians continue to face significant barriers to timely, accessible mental health and substance use supports with wait times measured in months or years in many communities.
On February 24, 2026, Senator Burey put forth a motion that “the Senate urge the Government of Canada to establish a federal legal framework that ensures mental health and addiction care are treated on an equal footing with physical health care.” The motion follows the 2025 Senate of Canada roundtable on mental health, substance abuse, and addiction parity, that highlighted the structural barriers in mental health care experienced by Canadians, including underfunding, fragmented services, and inequitable access. The roundtable called for a whole-of-society approach where mental health and addiction services are accessible, equitable, and valued equally with physical health care.
Many national organizations, coalitions and alliances have highlighted that our health care systems focus on physical health however there can be no health without our mental health. For example, CASW along with the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) have called for a federal Mental Health and Substance Use Health Care For All Parity Act to ensure mental and substance use health receive on par investments with physical health.
Other G-7 countries dedicate between 12% and 15% of health spending to mental health (i.e., France 15%, United Kingdom 13%), while Canada’s investment is approximately 5% indicating substantial room to improve. A robust evidence-informed study of mental health and substance use parity would:
- Clarify what parity should mean in the Canadian context (funding, accountability mechanisms, service standards)
- Identify and design remedies to the gaps and barriers for Black, First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and other equity-denied communities
- Support clearer performance indicators and transparent reporting for federal and provincial investments
A strong economy is simply not possible without corresponding investments that foster good health in people and communities. National leadership is urgent. Canada needs a robust and systematic study of the needs, gaps and leading practices that will help transform today’s patchwork of mental health services into a more cohesive, reliable and effective system for all.
Recommendation 3: That the government provide funding for a social work sector study to complement ongoing health human resource planning.
Registered Social Workers (RSW) serve in a myriad of essential roles in our communities: from hospitals to mental health, to child welfare, to primary health care, to substance use. As integral members of interdisciplinary health care teams, a sector study is required to ensure that the professional social work workforce can meet Canada’s growing health and social needs moving forward.
The three pillars of the social work profession, the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulation (CCSWR), Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) and the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) are in consensus that a comprehensive sector study is essential and are ready to work collaboratively with the Government of Canada to realize this initiative.
The last social work sector study, released in 2000, In Critical Demand: Social Work in Canada explored issues and demographics within the social services sector to support the development of a long-term human resources strategy. Now, more than ever, a social work human resources strategy is essential to improve the Canadian health and social system.
Canada’s health care system continues to face staffing shortages resulting in immense strain on the continuum of care. While this government recognizes the severity of the health human resources crisis and Health Canada has prioritized the need for data related to health human resources, CASW urges that allied professions, particularly social work, be meaningfully integrated into a response. At present, the lack of comprehensive data hinders effective planning to this pressing challenge.
There is little current data about the scale and scope of social workers in different practice areas across Canada. Key demographic, labour market and education/training information is needed. Social workers provide services in a variety of settings, including primary health care, to help Canadians attain physical and mental well-being. To ensure that the social work workforce has the capacity to meet the current and projected needs of Canadians, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive social work sector study as part of health human resource planning.
Social workers are Canada’s most numerous and versatile mental health practitioners; there are just under 20,000 psychologists, 11,000 counselling therapists/psychotherapists, 6,500 psychiatric nurses, and 60,000 social workers in Canada. With their broad scope of practice, social workers are regulated, accountable, highly trained professionals able to provide many of the same services (and more) as these professions.
Further, research demonstrates that the social work profession is strongly dominated by women and social workers from equity denied groups. Service users often prefer, and report better health and social outcomes when they receive services from a practitioner from the same demographic background. A social work sector study is important from an equity perspective because it will bolster support to social workers from equity denied groups and inform the social work needs of equity denied groups.
A health human resources plan must include social workers to enhance the effective deployment of social workers across domains and regions. A robust, well-planned social work workforce is crucial to supporting economic growth, labour market participation, and healthy, thriving communities nationwide.
About CASW
The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) is the national professional association for social work in Canada. Founded in 1926, CASW is a national federation composed of 10 partner organizations in the provinces and territories and a national office.
- ^ https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/diseases-conditions/federal-framework-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-report-parliament-2025/federal-framework-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-report-parliament-2025.pdf
- ^ Public Safety Canada GBA Plus
- ^ University of Toronto PTSD and Social Workers
- ^ https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/federal-framework-post-traumatic-stress-disorder.html#s1-3 p8
- ^ https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/burey-sharon/interventions/684892/29#hid
- ^ https://sencanada.ca/media/d02bmvyw/rprt_roundtable_mental-health-parity_2025_en_f.pdf
- ^ For more details, please see From Out of the Shadows and Into the Light…Achieving Parity in Access to Care Among Mental Health, Substance Use and Physical Health. Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, June 2021.
- ^ Institute for Health Economics. IHE Mental Health In Your Pocket – A Handbook of Mental Health Statistics, page 86., 2019.
- ^ Stephenson, Marylee, Gilles Rondeau, Jean Claude Michaud, and Sid Fiddler. “In Critical Demand: Social Work in Canada Volume 1- Final Report.” 2000, Canadian Association of Social Workers. https://www.casw-acts.ca/files/attachements/in_critical_demand_social_wo....
- ^ https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-system-services/ethical-framework-recruitment-retention-internationally-educated-health-professionals.html
- ^ Data from CIHI’s Health Workforce in Canada, 2017 to 2021: Overview — Data Tables: https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/health-workforce-canada-2017-2021-overview-data-tables-en.xlsx
- ^ University of Toronto PTSD and Social Workers