A Vancouver Island MP is calling on the Federal Government for a unified strategy for tackling brain injuries across the country.
“You know, it was not something I was always very well aware of, just how prevalent brain injuries are in Canadian society and what I’ve learned over the years is that this segment of our population needs our help,” said Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP Alistair MacGregor in a press conference this week.
He was bringing attention to the plight of many Canadians who suffer from brain injuries and the people who support and care for them. He aims to address the issues they face with a private members bill that lays out the framework for a national strategy to combat brain injuries.
While he noted that private member’s bills don’t have a great track record for success, MacGregor says that Bill C-277 could be used as a “template” for a future national strategy.
MacGregor was joined by Janelle Breese–Biagioni brain injury activist from Vancouver Island who highlighted links between traumatic brain injuries and crises the country is currently facing.
“My plea is to elevate this cause to the emergent crisis that it is and not leave it in this stagnant place, because unless we address this now or not going to mitigate the opioid crisis or homelessness,” she said after recounting the loss of her husband to a traumatic brain injury. She is the founder and CEO of the CBG Centre for Traumatic Life Losses.
