Federal government ends partnership with Bell Let’s Talk

Story by MobileSyrup • Nov 18

Bell’s Let’s Talk charity is losing support from the federal government.


 MobileSyrup

The annual mental health awareness initiative included talks and messages from various federal leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, since 2018.

According to CityNews, the collaboration is no more.

“Since the beginning of this collaboration, approaches to mental health and employee well-being have evolved within the federal public service, and there are now well-established government-wide and department-specific structures, forums, events, and activities supporting important conversations on mental health,” Monica Granados, Press Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, told the news outlet.

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Granados says the government will focus on “public service-driven activities,” and the collaboration didn’t cost either party anything.

The mental health awareness campaign saw Bell donate five cents to a mental health initiative every time social media users shared the #BellLetsTalk hashtag.

Bell celebrated a “successful” campaign in 2022, recording 47 million interactions online.

But the irony of the campaign is hard to ignore, given the way Bell treats its employees. In perhaps the most widely reported example, Bell didn’t renew Lisa LaFlamme’s contract for her former role as CTV National News anchor. Reports indicate LaFlamme had various disagreements with the executive who made the decision.

It’s unclear if the federal government’s stance to end support has anything to do with LaFlamme’s dismissal or the general treatment of Bell’s employees.

Source: CityNews