CCPA actively works to increase access to mental health services across the country, working with provincial and federal stakeholders.

Curious to know the major advocacy accomplishments for 2024? Click below to read the report prepared by our advocacy team!

View the Report

Recent Advocacy Updates

Active Campaigns

Tax-Free Therapy: Now Law

GST/HST Exemption for CCCs in Unregulated Provinces and Regulated Titles —What You Need to Know

Learn More

Member Resource: Tax-Free Therapy: Navigating the New Legislation for Counsellors Webinar

This educational webinar is hosted in partnership with Holistic Business Advisors. It addresses the new law’s impact, exempting counselling therapy and psychotherapy services from tax in Canada. This session will provide mental health counsellors with essential guidance on navigating these changes and optimizing their business practices. The recording is available to CCPA members in both official languages on the member portal.

We are pleased to share that Bill C-59 An Act to Implement Certain Provisions to the Fall Economic Statement has received royal assent successfully removing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on counselling and psychotherapy services in provinces that regulate the profession. The passing of Bill C-59 marks the final chapter of more than a decade of work, underscoring the significance of CCPA’s advocacy efforts to promote accessible mental health care.

Thank you to all CCPA members who advocated along side our elected board of directors, we would not have been able to achieve this without your overwhelming support.

Bill C-59 is an accomplishment that all parties worked towards supporting. We appreciate the work of the government, led by Minister Freeland, in introducing Bill C-59 through the 2023 Fall Economic Statement. We also commend Dr. Stephen Ellis for introducing Private Member’s Bill C-323 and Lindsay Mathyssen for introducing Private Member’s Bill C-218.

How does tax exemption apply in Quebec?

We have recently learned that Revenue Quebec has published information on considerations for tax exemption of psychotherapy services in the province of Quebec.

Please see below for their direct communication.

For clarification or questions on the Revenue Quebec update, please contact RQ directly.

Revenu Québec recently published a Tax News article on the application of the exemption for psychotherapy and therapeutic counselling services in Quebec.

Among other things, this Tax News states that:

“In Quebec, to be considered a practitioner of psychotherapy services, a person must

practice psychotherapy;

hold a psychotherapist’s permit issued by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec.

In Quebec, a practitioner of therapeutic counseling services is a person who practices as a guidance counselor, psychoeducator, sexologist, criminologist, or marriage and family therapist.”

You can consult this publication on the Revenu Québec website: GST/HST and QST Exemption for Psychotherapy and Counselling Therapy Services

Government of Canada:

If you still have questions about more specific situations, contact Revenu Québec customer service at one of the following telephone numbers:

Quebec City area: 418 659-4692

Montreal area: 514 873-4692

Elsewhere in Canada or the U.S.: 1 800 567-4692 (toll-free).

What does this mean for counselling Therapists and Psychotherapists across Canada?

The providing of psychotherapy and counselling therapy services are now added to the list of services that are GST/HST exempt if done by a legal practitioner.

To be considered a legal practitioner one must be licensed or certified in the province where the service is supplied or have equivalent qualifications.

An individual providing psychotherapy services in an unregulated province with equivalent qualifications to that of a regulated province, the new law may apply.

If they lack the necessary qualifications, their services will not be exempt from GST/HST under law.

This varies depending on the province of practice.

The CCPA is currently working to support the CRA in providing clarification and additional information so members and the public can better understand the implications of the removal of tax on counselling therapy and psychotherapy services.

When can I stop charging GST/HST?

We’ve been in contact with the Canadian Revenue Agency, and GOOD NEWS: Those who belong to a regulatory college can stop charging GST/HST immediately (June 20, 2024). That being said, you should contact CRA to discuss your individual situation and whether or not to deregister.

You can check CRA’s website for more information.

Updates from the Canada Revenue Agency

August 16, 2024 Update: The CRA will be releasing a new FAQ document to address ongoing tax exemption transition questions. This FAQ is largely informed by the recent survey completed by CCPA members.

Clarifying the new GST/HST exemption for psychotherapy and counselling therapy services (July 15, 2024)

Proposed Amendment – Exemption for Counselling Therapy Services (March 2024)

Proposed Amendment – Exemption for Psychotherapy Services (March 2024)

Government Recommendations

CCPA calls on all parties to ensure the Federal Government encourages equitable access to ALL mental health service providers – including counsellors, counselling therapists and psychotherapists – for ALL Canadians!

Canadians face barriers to accessing timely, effective, and qualified mental health care support provided by counsellors/counselling therapists/psychotherapists through federal health benefit programs and legislation. Without consistently recognizing qualified counsellors/counselling therapists/psychotherapists in all federal plans and provinces, this leads to preventable delays in obtaining mental health support, inequality in access to care based on province of residence, and lack of continuity of care as clients transition from one federal plan’s coverage to another or from one province to another.

The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) recommends three legislative and easily actionable ways that the Federal Government can ensure consistency in federal recognition of counsellors/counselling therapists/psychotherapists and prevent avoidable gaps in the accessibility of federal mental health supports.

Learn more about each of our three recommendations below, and visit our Professional Practice Documents webpage to browse our submissions to the Federal Government.

1 – That the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) recognize CCCs as eligible service providers in unregulated provinces, and remove the prerequisites needed for immigrants and refugees to access mental health services without delay.

The refugee and immigrant population is growing rapidly in Canada. The Canadian government’s Immigration Levels Plan specifies that immigrants to Canada will increase from 7.5 million to more than 12 million by 2036. Multiple studies have shown that refugees remain one of the most vulnerable groups in our society mainly due to the unique pre- and post-migration challenges they face, such as acculturation and racial discrimination, which can largely impact their mental health. In response to these mental health trends, the need for timely, accessible, and barrier-free refugee mental health policies is critical. Unfortunately, proactive and quickly actionable measures to increase appropriate mental health services have not been implemented.

Through IFHP, a program funded by Immigration and Citizenship Canada and administered by Medavie Blue Cross, eligible refugees in Canada receive limited and temporary health coverage. There are two crucial concerns with the program: the lack of inclusion of eligible Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) as providers in unregulated provinces, and the requirement for clients to obtain a referral for mental health services and a mental health disorder diagnosis to access services.

CCCs are nationally recognized and have met a high standard of clinical training and professional preparation, including a master’s degree, they are required to continuously update their practice via a continuing education program and are bound to a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice requiring a high level of cultural competence. Their diverse backgrounds and cultural and linguistic competencies result in the provision of competent mental health services for immigrants and refugees. Because IFHP recognizes only regulated mental health professionals as service providers, refugees and immigrants residing in provinces that have yet to regulate the counselling/psychotherapy profession cannot access the over 3500 CCCs ready to support them. Their inclusion would inject the IFHP with highly qualified practitioners with a variety of cultural and linguistic competencies, as well as valuable sub-specializations critical to effective therapeutic outcomes for immigrant and refugee populations.

The IFHP requires refugees to obtain a referral for psychotherapy/counselling therapy and a mental health disorder diagnosis from a medical professional to access mental health services, without which they deny service. This has resulted in immigrants and refugees underutilizing the service due to the prerequisites acting as an additional barrier to the detriment of their mental health. Requiring a diagnosis and a referral for something as valuable and necessary as access to psychotherapy can also cause artificial diagnostics and increase the false prevalence of mental health disorders. By requiring medical diagnoses and referrals, the IFHP again disregards the need for prompt access to services and runs the risk of perpetuating suffering among a vulnerable population by pathologizing them.

The outcome of both barriers to accessing care is an increase in disparities and inequities in mental health services for refugees and immigrants in comparison to the general population. For better and more equitable mental health service provision to the immigrant and refugee population, CCPA recommends the IFHP recognize CCCs as service providers in unregulated provinces and remove the diagnosis and referral to address access to care issues and increase the availability of qualified and competent practitioners.

Due to these limitations, the IFHP’s current mental health policies are insufficient to reduce systemic injustices and individual and social harms. The recommendations above are one way to help the Government address these issues.

2 – Inclusion of all counsellors and psychotherapists nation-wide in the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Plan for First Nations and Inuit

There is a significant need for improved access to qualified professional mental health support for the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Attempts at assimilation have contributed to mental health challenges for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, which, in turn, have led to harm in Indigenous communities. The loss of their culture, identity and self-determination has had profound and lasting impacts on their mental well-being.

The Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB) and the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support (IRS RHS) Program provide registered First Nations and recognized Inuit with coverage for a range of health benefits, including mental health counselling.

CCPA’s Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) were eligible service providers under NIHB and IRS RHS programming until May 2015 when the designation was delisted in all provinces and territories where the profession of counselling/psychotherapy is not regulated. CCCs are only accepted in exceptional circumstances in rural and remote areas and on a limited basis.

This decision has significantly reduced appropriate, universal access to mental health counselling services for Indigenous Peoples and communities across the country, and disadvantages those requiring care in unregulated provinces and territories.

By restricting access to CCCs, who are eligible providers in various other Federal health benefit programs as well as though the First Nations Health Authority which is NIHB’s counterpart in BC, the Federal Government is not providing equitable access to mental health care for all Indigenous Peoples.

The current NIHB policy prevents Indigenous practitioners from working in their communities and traditional territories, and within the cultural areas in which they are experts. The mental health benefit is the fastest-growing benefits area in the plan. Indigenous People must have access to practitioners who are from their own community with lived experience and understanding of the socio-political influences that impact Indigenous lives and mental health every day.

In September 2015, in response to the delisting of CCCs in unregulated provinces, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) – First Nations Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) NIHB Joint Review Steering Committee recommended immediately reinstating CCCs as eligible providers in provinces and territories that have not regulated the profession.

As highlighted in rights instruments and national commissions on Indigenous people, like the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, each item demonstrates increasing access to mental health supports. However unilateral decisions are still being made by federal and provincial leadership on Indigenous communities and access to essential services.

In the interest of equitable accessibility to mental health services for Indigenous Peoples of Canada, it is recommended that Indigenous Services Canada implement the call to action from the AFN-FNIHB Joint Review Steering Committee and immediately reinstate CCCs in unregulated provinces as eligible providers under the NIHB program, adding over 1,500 eligible providers in the unregulated provinces.

In May 2022, Angela Grier, CCPA’s Lead, Indigenous Initiatives, appeared as a witness in front of INAN to talk about this issue. Listen to her testimony here: https://youtu.be/HKv-xSiW1Cs.

For a one-pager on the issue, click here.

3 – That the federal government pass a companion piece of legislation to the Canada Health Act called the Mental Health and Substance Use Health Care for All Parity Act – which equally values mental health, substance use health and physical health

While a ten-year agreement was presented by the federal government and accepted by the provinces and territories in February 2023, CCPA was deeply disappointed that it did not contain the long-promised Canada Mental Health Transfer of $4.5 billion over 5 years. The agreement allocates $25 billion over the next 10 years has been set aside for four specific priorities, of which mental health and substance use health is one – but no bilateral agreement, action plan, priorities, funding allocation or expected impact have been signed to-date. We look forward to seeing the details of each agreement that is signed between the federal and provincial and territorial governments.

CCPA believes that appropriate and sustainable levels of federal funding should be embedded within a new legislative framework that identifies a clear set of objectives and accountabilities (e.g., guiding principles, performance indicators, national standards) that need to be adhered to by the provinces and territories in order to receive ongoing funding.

To provide for a more transparent and mutually accountable relationship between the federal, and provincial and territorial governments, CCPA continues to call on the federal government to pass a companion piece of legislation to the Canada Health Act called the Mental Health and Substance Use Health Care for All Parity Act.1

The Act calls on the federal government to:

Enshrine in federal legislation the provision of, and timely access to, inclusive and accessible mental health and substance use health programs, services and supports that are equally valued to those provided for physical health problems and conditions.

Ensure that a variety of publicly funded and modes of therapy, mental health and substance use health programs, services and supports are available to Canadians on an equitable basis, when and where they need it, and extend beyond traditional hospital and physician settings into community-based services (as set out in the Canada Health Act).

Recognize the fundamental importance of investing in mental health promotion, prevention and education, and the social determinants of health.

Include clear standards for accountability and meaningful national health system performance indicators.

Be linked to appropriate and sustainable federal funding to the provinces and territories for expanded access to mental health care services.

Media Requests

The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) is a national bilingual association that promotes the profession of counselling and psychotherapy and its contribution to the mental health and well-being of all Canadians. CCPA is available to the media to speak on matters related to the role of the profession in all healthcare, educational and industry sectors; contact us to arrange an interview with one of our spokespersons.

For media requests, please contact:

Dan Marino

[email protected]

Impact Public Affairs

Press Releases

CCPA is committed to recognizing and supporting various special days and weeks throughout the year, both nationally and internationally, by issuing press releases to the media to highlight these important events. In many cases, the release results in an interview with a CCPA expert on radio, television or in the print media. In this way, CCPA is helping to raise awareness of issues that affect the profession, while promoting the services offered by counsellors and psychotherapists and sharing valuable resources, such as the Association’s Let’s Talk website, which is designed to help people living with mental illness and mental health issues.

You will also find in this section relevant news releases from national groups that CCPA supports and belongs to (such as the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health) or other organizations (such as the Mental Health Commission of Canada).

2024

February 5-9 – Canadian School Counselling Week

April 1-30 – Counselling and Psychotherapy Month

May 5 – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples

June 18 – GST Removal for Counselling and Psychotherapy Services

June 21 – National Indigenous Peoples Day

December 13 – Advocating for NIHB Program Reform to Better Serve FNMI Peoples and Communities

2023

February 6, 2023 – Canadian School Counselling Week 2023

April 3, 2023 – Second Annual Counselling and Psychotherapy Month

May 1, 2023 – CCPA Celebrates CMHA Mental Health Week

May 5, 2023 – Day of Recognition, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls