Transcript - The Morning Edition

Joe Pavia: Fifteen-year-old Rehan Mazid is bringing together a group of politicians to talk about youth mental health. The civic panel will host local MPs, MPPs, councillors, trustees, and of course, youth. The goal is to tackle the mental health crisis young people face. "Youth Mental Health and the Role of Good Governance" will take place this afternoon inside Waterloo Regional Council Chambers in Kitchener. To tell us more about the panel, I'm joined by Rehan in the studio. Good morning, Rehan.

Rehan Mazid: Good morning, Joe. Thanks for having me.

Joe Pavia: Thank you for being here. Why did you want to host a civic panel to address youth mental health?

Rehan Mazid: I wanted to host this civic panel to address youth mental health because I saw that wait times across Ontario, and more broadly Canada, were getting ridiculous for youth. Statistics from CMHA Ontario say that the average youth can expect to wait 67 days before seeing a counsellor and 93 days before receiving psychiatric treatment. This is frankly unacceptable, and there should be an apt response from our government.

Joe Pavia: Let's talk about the different levels of government. Why was it important for you to bring elected officials from all levels to join today?

Rehan Mazid: Well, this is a cross-jurisdictional issue. The Canada Health Transfer from the federal government prioritizes funds for our Ontario government, the province rolls out the actual healthcare, and the municipalities feel it on the ground. We have the student trustee here to tell us what's really happening in the schools and what they hear from students, as they are students themselves.

Joe Pavia: Now, what issues specifically do you hope your panel will address?

Rehan Mazid: Specifically, we hope to address the link between youth homelessness and youth mental health, the dissolution of the dedicated federal Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, along with the wait times that are impacting youth in Ontario and, once again, more broadly, Canada.

Joe Pavia: And by the way, who's on your panel today?

Rehan Mazid: On the panel, we have MP Bardish Chagger, MPP Aislinn Clancy, Regional Councillor Colleen James, MP Matt Strauss, MP Kelly De Rider, and Student Trustee Kinjal Kaur.

Joe Pavia: Now, what role do you think local politicians have when it comes to youth mental health?

Rehan Mazid: I think local politicians play a key role, especially when you look at Regional Councillor Colleen James, for example. The motion that she passed in the Waterloo Regional Council Chambers was the catalyst to provide funding for events just like mine that address a critical issue, which is youth mental health. That is a very clear role that they play.

Joe Pavia: Now, I understand you organized this through your Civic Clarity Foundation. Tell us more about that organization.

Rehan Mazid: Well, we're a nonpartisan, youth-led think tank. We founded it because we saw that the important conversations surrounding our future—from housing to mental health and even unemployment—were happening without us in the room. All these policy decisions were happening without us. So our goal is to bring a clear, policy-focused, and authentically youth voice to the room and to the table.

Joe Pavia: You're 15 years old, Rehan, and you're doing this great work today getting this panel together. How did someone your age get involved in something like this?

Rehan Mazid: Well, it started with the provincial election this year. When I was watching the leaders' debate, I noticed that a lot of the bills and issues they kept bringing up impact our lives in so many ways that we don't even really know about. And it reminds me of a quote from a French historian, Jules Michelet, who once said, "The first part of politics is education. The second part of politics is education. And the third part of politics is education."

Joe Pavia: And I'm not sure if this is the answer to the next question, but why is it important for someone your age to engage in politics?

Rehan Mazid: Well, it's important for people my age to engage in politics because these decisions that are being made in Queen's Park or on Parliament Hill aren't just decisions that impact the next one to two years; they're decisions that can impact the next decade and even more. So we have to be proactive. This is our future that's at stake.

Joe Pavia: Rehan, what is your own experience with mental health?

Rehan Mazid: Well, regarding my own experience with mental health, of course, like every other youth in Canada, we face immense anxiety. From the youth unemployment crisis to housing, many of us wonder if we will ever own a home or start a family. So, of course, there has been stress and anxiety coming from that impacting all youth.

Joe Pavia: What is next for you and the Civic Clarity Foundation?

Rehan Mazid: In the winter of 2025, we plan to host an annual forum bringing together youth, elected officials, and community leaders once again in Cambridge, this time for a different event.

Joe Pavia: All right, so this afternoon, 2:00 p.m. at the Regional Council Chambers, correct?

Rehan Mazid: Correct.

Joe Pavia: All right, thank you so much for joining us this morning. It's been a pleasure having you here, Rehan.

Rehan Mazid: Thank you.

Joe Pavia: That is Rehan Mazid, a 15-year-old student from Cambridge, and he will be hosting a youth mental health panel this afternoon with local politicians. Now, this event is free and it's open to the public. Maybe you'd like to join and meet Rehan there this afternoon. So as he mentioned, it starts at 2:00 p.m. inside the Waterloo Region Council Chambers at 150 Frederick Street in Kitchener. The event will also be live-streamed, and you can find out more information on Eventbrite.