National ADHD Framework for Health and Schools

Summary#

This bill orders the federal Minister of Health to create a national framework on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The framework must be built with input from provinces, territories, and Indigenous governing bodies and must include measures on public resources, educator supports, and practitioner training. The Minister must table the framework within 2 years of the Act coming into force and later table a 5-year effectiveness report (Tabling of national framework (1); Report (1)).

• Creates a Canada‑wide plan for ADHD resources, training, and access (Development (1); Content (2)).
• Requires consultation with provincial governments and Indigenous governing bodies responsible for health and education (Development (1)).
• Sets a 2‑year deadline to table the framework in Parliament and publish it online within 10 days (Tabling of national framework (1); Publication (2)).
• Requires a follow‑up effectiveness report within 5 years, with conclusions and recommendations, and publication within 10 days (Report (1)‑(3)).
• Focuses on measurable elements: educator training, practitioner training, and equitable access to trained providers (Content (2)(b)‑(e)).
• Notes ADHD affects over one million Canadians (Preamble).

What it means for you#

• Households and individuals with ADHD

  • May see new federal resources to help recognize, understand, and manage ADHD once the framework is released (Content (2)(a)). Timing: by 2 years after the Act comes into force for the framework; actual resource rollout depends on later actions.
  • The framework aims to improve equitable access to trained medical and mental health providers, but it does not itself guarantee services or funding (Content (2)(e)).

• Students and educators

  • Educators are to be “equipped with the knowledge, training and resources” to support students with ADHD and related learning comorbidities, as part of the framework (Content (2)(b)). The bill does not set specific training hours, standards, or start dates.

• Medical and mental health practitioners

  • The framework must improve training on ADHD and ensure access to evidence‑based (based on solid research) assessment and treatment approaches (Content (2)(c)‑(d)). No certification or curriculum is specified.

• Provinces, territories, and Indigenous governing bodies

  • Will be consulted in developing the framework covering health and education aspects (Development (1)). The bill does not require adoption of any specific program or law.

• General public

  • Can read the framework and later the effectiveness report online within 10 days after each is tabled in Parliament (Publication (2); Publication (3)).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable; the bill contains no funding and creates no new fees or taxes.

• No direct appropriations are included in the bill text. Data unavailable.
• Health Canada must consult, draft, table, and publish the framework and a later effectiveness report. Administrative costs are not stated. Data unavailable.
• Any future spending on training, resources, or access would depend on decisions made after the framework is published. Data unavailable.
• No official fiscal note identified. Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• A national framework will coordinate efforts across jurisdictions and reduce gaps in supports for more than one million Canadians affected by ADHD (Preamble; Development (1)).
• Required elements ensure practical focus: public resources, educator readiness, and practitioner training based on evidence (Content (2)(a)‑(d)).
• The “equitable access” requirement centers access to trained providers as a policy goal for health systems (Content (2)(e)).
• Timelines create accountability: framework within 2 years; effectiveness review within 5 years, both tabled and published (Tabling of national framework (1); Report (1)‑(3)).
• Consultation with Indigenous governing bodies integrates perspectives of rights‑holding communities in health and education planning (Development (1)).

Opponents' View#

• The bill sets broad goals but no funding, which could make it an unfunded federal initiative that provinces and providers cannot implement at scale (Content (2); No appropriations in bill text).
• Education and most health service delivery are provincial; without binding agreements, the framework may have uneven uptake or duplicate existing programs (Development (1); Content (2)(b)‑(e)).
• Terms like “ensure” and “equitable access” lack operational definitions, making measurement and enforcement unclear (Content (2)).
• The 2‑year timeline may delay near‑term action while the framework is developed, with benefits contingent on later decisions (Tabling of national framework (1)).
• Reporting obligations add administrative work but do not guarantee changes in training standards, service availability, or outcomes (Report (1)‑(3)).