Position: Member, Board of Directors
Reporting Relationship: Reports to the Chair of the Board of Directors
The Mental Health Commission of Canada (the “Commission”)
(www.mentalhealthcommission.ca) is actively looking to fill four vacancies on its Board of Directors. These vacancies will arise in mid-September 2013. If you are interested in applying, please submit your credentials, which should include a letter of expression of interest and a current CV to:
MHCCBoardRecruitment@mentalhealthcommission.ca. Submissions will be accepted until May 3, 2013. Only finalist candidates will be contacted.
Key Responsibilities:
• Actively participating in Board decision-making, with a view to doing what is best for the Commission
• Approving the Commission’s strategic direction including vision, mission, and key goals
• Providing oversight of senior management
• Promoting a culture of integrity
• Ensuring program effectiveness
• Ensuring financial viability and responsibility
• Managing risk
• Ensuring the Board’s effectiveness through self-evaluation and periodic external governance review
• Fostering positive relationships with external stakeholders and within the organization Experience/Qualifications:
This is an extraordinary opportunity for individuals who are passionate about the Commission’s mission. Successful candidates will have provided leadership in mental health in any of the following settings: community organizations, government, health care organizations or academic environments. The Commission is always interested in individuals who have lived-experience of mental health problems or illness which they have used to provide leadership and hope in this area. The Commission also wishes to broaden the representation of its membership, including geographic diversity, francophone, women, First Nations, Inuit and Métis and ethno-racial communities.
Ideal candidates will have most of the following qualifications:
• Extensive experience and significant leadership accomplishments in mental health or related fields;
• Strong diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, facilitating, and building consensus among diverse individuals;
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a passion for improving the lives of the Commission’s stakeholders; and,
• Capacity to work with a diversity of perspectives to advance the Commission’s mission and vision.
Expectations of New Board Members:
There is an expectation that selected individuals will:
• Regularly attend board meetings and important related meetings;
• Make a serious commitment to participate actively in committee work;
• Volunteer for/willingly accept and complete assignments;
• Stay informed about Commission, Board and Board committee matters, prepare themselves well for meetings, and review and comment on minutes and reports;
• Get to know other Board and Board committee members and work to build a collegial working relationship that contributes to consensus; and,
• Recognize the need to think broadly beyond the competencies and constituencies that they individually represent to reflect the mission and goals of the Commission.
The Commission’s Board of Directors wishes to reiterate its commitment to diversity. As such, applications from francophone individuals, women, as well as from individuals from diverse backgrounds such as First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and other ethno-racial groups, and those with lived-experience of mental health problems or illnesses, are encouraged.
About the Mental Health Commission of Canada
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is a catalyst for change. We are collaborating with hundreds of partners to change the attitudes of Canadians toward mental health problems and to improve services and support. Our goal is to help people who live with mental health
problems and illnesses lead meaningful and productive lives. Together, we spark change.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada is funded by Health Canada.
Commission Background:
The Mental Health Commission of Canada was first proposed by the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology in November 2005. The Committee, under the leadership of Senator Michael Kirby, had begun the first-ever national study of mental health, mental illness and addiction in February 2003, conducting more than 50 meetings, hearing from more than 300 witnesses in 130 hours of hearings, and gathering 2000 pages of testimony as well as hundreds of stories via e-consultations on the committee’s website. The Committee’s final report, “Out of the Shadows at Last – Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada” in May, 2006, reaffirmed the need for a Mental Health Commission to provide an ongoing national focus for mental health issues, and the Government of Canada announced funding for the Mental Health Commission of Canada in its March 2007 budget. The creation of the Commission with a mandate and structure closely based on the proposal contained in the report was also endorsed by all provincial and territorial governments (with the exception of Québec) at a meeting of Ministers of Health in October 2005, and all these governments have since confirmed their support for the Commission. In addition, the creation of the Commission has been enthusiastically welcomed by all mental health
stakeholder communities. The Government of Canada named Former Senator Michael Kirby as the first Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and the Commission was
incorporated as a non-profit corporation in March 2007. Today, the Commission is led by Louise Bradley, President and Chief Executive Officer. The Chair of the Commission is Dr.
David S. Goldbloom, MD, FRCPC.
The views represented herein solely represent the views of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Production of this document is made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada.
