A personal mission to end men's mental health challenges

June marks the beginning of Men's Health Month. As CEO and president of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), Michel Rodrigue has spent the past decade challenging long-standing stigmas, building inclusive mental health frameworks, and advocating for the often-overlooked demographic of middle-aged men. But his mission isn’t just rooted in theory, it’s also personal. 

“My interest in this space is born out of losing a dear friend to suicide 20 years ago. He had a loving family, two young daughters, it was a devastating experience,” he says. “Men’s mental health is something that’s near and dear to my heart.” 

Rodrigue believes that generational conditioning plays a central role in how men perceive and respond to mental health struggles. He points out that older generations, especially men in their 50s and 60s, were brought up to idolize traits like stoicism, independence, and emotional restraint. That socialization, he argues, makes it difficult for men to admit when they’re struggling or in need of support. Rodrigue even argues that opening up can often mistakenly be seen as a personal failure. 

“When that’s your ideal, it’s challenging to pivot and admit that at times you may not be well, that at times you might need a shoulder to cry on. You might need a friend, and too often it is unfortunately perceived as a sign of weakness,” he says.  

“I think the stigma is really born out of that, and it’s how we’re socialized. And we’ve seen much more of that recently, like those very muscular folks who tend to go online and make ridiculous comments. I think tackling that directly is what we need to do, and we need to put our arms around men because they’re lonely.”  

He points to the data to illustrate his point. According to Statistics Canada, 12 people die by suicide each day. Additionally, suicide rates are approximately three times higher among men compared to women.  

Rodrigue underscores that these findings show men are falling through the cracks of a system that doesn’t account for how deeply rooted these stigmas are.  

“They’re not getting the support they need. They don’t seek help, they don’t leverage their network, they isolate,” he says, emphasizing that urgent action is needed − not only to raise awareness but to actively reshape how men view mental health. 

Rodrigue believes Canada has taken a leading role in prioritizing workplace mental health, and notes that the country was a pioneer in establishing formal standards for psychological safety at work. MHCC launched that framework 12 years ago and is currently in the process of updating it. 

The benefit of these standards, Rodrigue argues, isn’t just for employees, it’s strategic for employers, too: “It allows employees to thrive, which also has the benefit for employers of increasing staff contribution to the organization, reducing illnesses and lost time productivity, and reducing your cost in terms of short-term and long-term disability.”  

One of MHCC’s key initiatives is its social enterprise, Opening Minds, which delivers training programs to tens of thousands of workers every year. Rodrigue highlights the success of a program called the Working Mind, built on a continuum designed to help workers articulate how they’re feeling using simple, shared language, an approach Rodrigue believes is especially helpful for men, who may struggle to verbalize emotional states. 

Rodrigue underscores that such mental health literacy training programs can help employees develop a common language around mental health and recognize different stress levels. He also says it’s crucial to ensure comprehensive mental health coverage for employees and their families, with benefits that go beyond the traditional $450−$500 limit. 

Additionally, training people leaders in Mental Health First Aid and psychological health and safety standards can create psychologically safe workplaces that allow employees to thrive, which can in turn increase staff productivity, reduce lost time due to illness, and lower short-term and long-term disability costs. He also encourages open conversations about mental health and creates an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their well-being. 

“[The stigma's] improving because people are having some of those conversations,” he states. “There are many more programs that are informed and built specifically for men.”  

Hepoints to the Men’s Sheds initiative as a particularly effective example. It provides informal spaces where men can socialize, work side by side, and organically check in on one another, without the pressure of formal mental health settings.  

However, he’s quick to emphasize that this progress is not universal, especially for men who face intersecting challenges. Rodrigue points out that Indigenous men, and those identifying with sexual and gender minorities, often experience unique cultural and systemic barriers to mental health support. 

Despite retiring in July, part of his work as CEO and president of MHCC is being intentional about prioritizing men’s mental health in the commission’s programming, pointing to Roots of Hope, a community-based suicide prevention initiative.  

“We run that in communities where the focus is on men’s mental health and reducing suicide rates, particularly around middle-aged men. We embed specific programming for men who may come from different communities, and ensure that we touch them with our programming,” he explains.  

Rodrigue’s advocacy is a deliberate choice, motivated by a belief in collective well-being. That belief underpins MHCC’s efforts to bring conversations about men’s mental health to national platforms, such as on Parliament Hill and in Queen’s Park, particularly around Father’s Day.  

“We work with parliamentarians to highlight men’s mental health. We will bring speakers and create an opportunity for politicians from all different parties to come together, to share and celebrate,” Rodrigue explains. “Creating those moments to focus on mental health allows people from all sides of the House to be able to get real about their struggles and receive support,” he says. 

He also emphasizes the intense pressure that elected officials face, from public scrutiny to the toxic culture of online abuse. He believes the focus on men’s mental health helps foster openness among leaders who might otherwise stay silent. 

“What I’ve seen are personal stories of resiliency, of elected officials being vulnerable, sharing their mental health journeys and getting support from one another, which is exactly what you want,” Rodrigue says, adding, “We’re really focused on the non-partisan nature of mental health.”