HEY BELL! WE NEED TO TALK
On January 28th, it was “Bell Let’s Talk” Day, and in the past we have posted about how Bell was a trailblazer in bringing attention to the reality of mental health and destigmatizing mental illness. Well this year, Bell, we are going to have a different conversation. We are going to talk about YOU and some glaring issues that need to be addressed. I have talked a bit about systemic oppression, discrimination, and racism, and Bell, seriously, we need to talk.
In 2010 Bell Canada launched the #BellLetsTalk awareness campaign as a way to raise national awareness for mental health and to destigmatize mental health and mental illness. “Bell Let’s Talk Day” takes place on January 28th and on that day Bell donates 0.05c for every call or text by Bell customers, and for every social media post that contains the hashtag #bellletstalk. This year, they posted a funny video starring Michael Buble, and for every view Bell will donate 0.05c. They have raised millions of dollars that they have used to fund mental health resources to support those struggling with mental health. The message of “it affects us all” is geared towards reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and to normalize the experience for the 1 in 5 Canadian who are impacted by mental illness. While this is all wonderful, Bell Canada is also a business, and they have also received a lot of publicity for their campaigns as well as large tax breaks for the charitable donations they make to mental health research and to the community.
While Bell’s message is an important one, they may need to take their own advice. Many Bell employees have spoken out against the company saying that the pressure and stress they have experienced while working at Bell have left them suffering with significant mental health problems. 600 people contacted the CBC after they published an investigative piece on the company and people detailed how the high pressure sales tactics left people in tears at work and pushed employees to the brink, where they eventually had to take a stress leave. While Bell denies these allegations, current and former employees continue to speak out against the company and their hypocrisy.
Bell also has a lot to answer for in its contract with federal prisons and for its previous contract that ended last year with the Ontario provincial government. Bell provided phone services in provincial jails that were limited to 20 minutes and could cost up to $30, or even more if it was a long distance call. For individuals who were incarcerated for long periods of time, this meant that their loved ones ended up having to foot a phone bill that could be thousands of dollars. This means that Bell is making millions of dollars off inmates, who we know struggle disproportionally with mental illness. This also created barriers for inmates to connect with their supports that could range from, treatment centers, addiction counsellors, mental health supports, and family/friends. By creating such a huge financial barrier, the mental health conditions of inmates would only worsen, which then impacts the community because once individuals are released they are more likely to reoffend or even more tragically makes them more susceptible to suicidal thoughts and death by suicide. Advocacy groups amplified the voices and the demands of the community and Bell’s provincial contract was not renewed last year. Bell still has a lot to answer for because they still hold the contract for the federal prison phone system which continues to restrict prisoner communication and contributes to deteriorating mental health, all in the name of profit.
Bell’s message with #BellLetsTalk is that 1 in 5 Canadians will be impacted by mental health and while yes that statistic is true, not everyone is affected equally. Like I have said before, marginalized BIPOC communities have significant barriers to accessing resources to address their mental and physical health. These are the same communities that are incarcerated at a much higher rate. We know that individuals with poor mental health are more likely to become involved in criminal behavior, yet, despite Bell’s initiative they are contributing to the very problem they are speaking out against!
Bell needs to do much better and if they want to be a trailblazer for mental health in Canada, that is a positive endeavor, however they need to reflect on what they need to do in order to really earn that title. A good start would be addressing the mental health needs of their own employees and working at changing their workplace culture, which frankly sounds toxic. They can also increase their advocacy efforts and address the systemic barrier to mental health resources for ALL Canadians. Broadening their discussion of what is stigmatized is also an area they could improve on. In 2010, when they first launched their initiative, issues like anxiety and depression were not talked about however in 2021, there is definitely a lot less stigma around those two areas, especially after the COVID pandemic. If they want to stand by their mission of awareness and de-stigmatization they need to speak openly about other issues like, eating disorder, OCD, bi-polar disorder, complex PTSD and other more severe and complex mental health issues that continue to face high levels of stigma. This also means extending the conversation and actions to include addressing social determinants of health that are vital to mental health. This means talking about issues like housing, employment discrimination, and the criminal justice system that does not adequately support people living with mental illness (oh and not profiting from that system!).
I have mixed feelings when it comes to Bell Let’s Talk Day, I see it’s benefits and I also see the harms. What do you think? Does Bell have a responsibility to evolve their efforts or is it good enough that they started this campaign?
