In 2024, we elevated the profile of brain injury significantly, but we aren’t finished yet!
Once the new government is in place, we will push for immediate attention to brain injury in the next parliamentary session. But we need your help! We’ve created an online form to make it easy to bring your voice.
We want to let our leaders know that brain injury is a silent epidemic affecting millions of Canadians, with marginalized communities disproportionately impacted and no coordinated national response.
The profile of brain injury reached significant milestones in 2024, gaining unprecedented recognition and support of all parties at the national level, as well as with provincial and municipal governments. Policymakers and advocates have come together to highlight the urgent need for a coordinated approach, reflecting a growing commitment to addressing the impact of brain injury across communities.
In 2024, a call for a National Strategy on Brain Injury passed unanimously at Second Reading and at committee stage in the House of Commons. We have come so far, but haven’t completed the quest. We must keep going!
In 2025, we are headed to a federal election. Please sign up for our newsletter to keep informed of the progress we make as Canada transitions from the 44th Parliament to its 45th Parliament.
FREE EBOOK
Click the image above to download Janelle’s free eBook about brain injury in Canada and why a National Strategy is needed.
Click here for the Forgotten Canadians executive summary
What’s next?
Next Steps: Join the Movement for a National Brain Injury Strategy
Our advocacy is moving forward in key phases, and we need your voice at every step:
🔹 Prepare for the Election – Lay the groundwork by engaging candidates and parties on the importance of a National Brain Injury Strategy.
🔹 Raise Awareness During the Election – Ensure brain injury is part of the conversation by amplifying survivor stories, sharing key facts, and urging policymakers to take action.
🔹 Bring the Issue to Parliament – Once the new government is in place, we will push for immediate attention to brain injury in the next parliamentary session.
🔹 Launch Our Biggest Campaign (June–October 2025) – From June to October, we will mobilize nationwide, culminating in our advocacy efforts on Parliament Hill.
➡️ Take action today! Visit the Bring Your Voice page to learn how a national strategy aligns with the goals of all the parties, and to find out how you can be involved. Your voice matters—help us make brain injury a national priority!
Brain injury has never received much attention in the House of Commons or with provincial and municipal governments. Until now.
While the brain injury community is appreciative of the attention, we know, in light of a looming election, our work is far from done.
We conducted a coast-to-coast survey to inform the Charter of Rights:
A group of brain injury survivors and family members from across Canada offered their voices, stories and thoughts to contribute to the development of a Charter of Rights.
Canada-wide brain injury services & supports are fragmented and chronically underfunded.
In Canada, the annual incidence of acquired brain injury (ABI) is alarmingly high, surpassing that of multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, breast cancer, and HIV/AIDS combined.
Despite the staggering statistics, the true scope is likely underestimated due to unreported cases stemming from concussions, intimate partner violence, violence among the homeless, incarceration, combat injuries, and survivors of opioid/stimulant poisoning.
We began advocating for a National Strategy in 2018. Since 2022, our partnerships have expanded across the country to include Brain Injury Canada, BrainTrust Canada, BC Brain Injury Association, and more. Progress has been slow, but to advance the cause, in October 2023, twenty-three delegates traveled to Ottawa. We met with MPs to discuss the current state of brain injury in Canada, the impact of gaps in care on survivors and families, and to share our recommendations. This journey, along with the 125 Days to Say Yes! campaign—featuring powerful stories from survivors and families—significantly raised awareness about brain injury. Names of additional supporters are listed at the bottom of this page.
In 2025, we’re taking our plea to Parliament Hill once again—because we must. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed as plans take shape, starting in June and culminating in Ottawa this October. We know not everyone can make the trip, but you can still be part of the movement. As plans finalize, we’ll share ways to take action from your own community. Your voice matters, and we promise to make it heard!
Together, we made a difference!
Last year, we launched the 125 Days to Say Yes! Campaign which coincided with the 125 days the House of Commons sat from January to December. During that time, 7,926 emails and 2,622 printed letters were sent to the Prime Minister, Minister of Health, selected MPs and stakeholders. The letters shared personal stories of survivors and family members and urged the federal government to implement a national strategy.
Brain injury survivors, family members, caregivers, brain injury associations, researchers, and other stakeholders are encouraged to continue to submit letters to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and other Members of Parliament and federal candidates, advocating for this crucial national strategy.
More than 70 people brought their stories forward to to support the campaign. We are very proud of them. They are truly our Canadian heroes. Click the link below and look for our flipbook to see and hear these amazing stories.
Advocating since 2018
The Constable Gerald Breese Centre for Traumatic Life Losses (CGB Centre) has actively advocated for a national strategy on brain injury since 2018 to address the fragmented and siloed system in Canada, which leaves survivors of brain injuries and their families struggling to find adequate services and supports.
At that time, Janelle Breese Biagioni, CEO/Founder and widow of Constable Breese, brought forward concerns about brain injury and the intersections of mental health and addictions, highlighting the devastating outcomes for individuals and families who have seemingly fallen through the cracks of this fragmented system to her Member of Parliament. These discussions with MP Alistair MacGregor, New Democratic Member of Parliament for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, led him to introduce the private member’s Bill C-323 in 2020, which unfortunately did not progress beyond first reading. MacGregor reintroduced the call for a National Strategy on Brain Injury as Bill C-277, which made great strides, but did not acheive royal assent before the prorogation of government in January 2025. She isn’t giving up!
Janelle Breese Biagioni has been the community lead with the CGB Centre for the BC Heads Together Think Tanks (2020) and the BC Consensus on Brain Injury, Mental Health, and Addictions (2022 – present), generously funded by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and the Vancouver Foundation. Both initiatives brought forward strong recommendations, including the urgent need to establish a National Strategy on Brain Injury Act.
Years of Research & Taking Action.
They say “Good research takes 17 years to be put into practice.”
We said “NO!” Action is needed now, and we are committed to implementing each recommendation as we go. Below is information on our BC Heads Together Think Tank and the BC Consensus on Brain Injury, Mental Health and Addictions, which led us to take action and pursue a National Strategy on Brain Injury.
In 2020, the CGB Centre for Traumatic Life Losses, funded by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and the Vancouver Foundation, hosted the BC Heads Together Think Tank, streaming four virtual events across British Columbia. Recommendations included researching best practices for brain injury survivors with mental health and substance use issues, educating and training service providers, and mitigating barriers to accessing services. In response, both the ministry and the foundation funded a three-year Participatory Action Research Grant and BC Consensus Building Days. Visit the BC Consensus on Brain Injury, Mental Health, and Addiction site to learn more about this important project.
Establishing a national strategy on brain injury has been a key recommendation from both initiatives.
More common than…
ABI is 44 times more common than spinal cord injuries, 30 times more common than breast cancer, and 400 times more common than HIV/AIDS.
5,500 women for every 1 NHL player.
For every 1 NHL player who sustains a concussion in the game of hockey, 5,500 Canadian women suffer the same injury from intimate partner violence.
53% of homeless people
53% of homeless people experience a TBI, and one in four (25%) experience a TBI that is moderate or severe.
Higher rates of suicide
A Canadian longitudinal cohort study found adults with concussion committed suicide at three times the population norm.
Supporters
A National Strategy on Brain Injury began as a recommendation from the BC Heads Together Think Tank and the BC Consensus on Brain Injury, Mental Health, and Addiction project.
Recognizing the urgent need for a coordinated approach to brain injury care, these groups advocated for a national strategy to address the complex challenges faced by survivors.
This recommendation quickly gained traction, resonating with stakeholders across the country who saw the potential for significant improvements in care and support. As awareness grew, so did the momentum, transforming the initial recommendation into a Canada-wide movement. This movement culminated in the unanimous passage of Bill C-277 in the House of Commons, marking a historic step towards comprehensive brain injury care in Canada.
Supporters include:
Brain Injury Canada
BC Brain Injury Association
BrainTrust Canada
Concussion Café – Yukon
March of Dimes Canada
Novella Wellness
Kootenay Brain Injury Association
Cowichan Brain Injury Society
Nanaimo Brain Injury Society
Brain Injury Alliance of BC
Canadian Royal Purple
Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association
Regina Brain Injury Support Group
The Cridge Centre for the Family
Prince George Brain Injured Group Society
South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association
Northern Brain Injury Association
Connect Communities & Classic Life Care
PEI Brain Injury Support Group
Quest Health – Manitoba
City of Victoria
City of Nanaimo
City of Penticton
City of Langford