Businesses Urged to Pick Up the Mantle of the late Honourable Michael Wilson

(This news release was distributed through the courtesy of EQ Care, Montreal. Bill Wilkerson, Executive Chairman, Mental Health International, is a member of EQ Care's Advisory Board.)

MONTRÉAL, July 20, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - The late (Hon) Michael Wilson was famous as Canada's Minister of Finance, and in the words of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, "the greatest finance minister this country ever had."

Mr. Wilson, who passed away last year, also distinguished himself as Canada's Ambassador to the United States and Chancellor of the University of Toronto. He held senior positions in business, known for his integrity and social conscience.

But there is a growing consensus that his greatest legacy may turn out to be his leadership in mental health.

A Global Leader in making mental health a boardroom issue

Bill Wilkerson, LL. D. (Hon), Executive Chairman, Mental Health International and EQ Care advisory board member, worked alongside Mr. Wilson for 20 uninterrupted years to start and propel mental health in the workplace as a business priority. He describes Mr. Wilson as the "world's first mental health statesman."

Wilkerson says Mr. Wilson spoke of what he called "the flesh and blood capitalism" as a new force to combat the effects of mental disorders concentrated heavily among women and men in their prime years of work and to tackle major societal questions.

Wilkerson and the University of Toronto's celebrated physician-scientist Dr. Roger McIntyre published a tribute to "this great man" on Saturday. It is now available at www.mentalhealthinternational.ca and www.eqcare.com.

Dr. McIntyre speaks in the Tribute about "urgent clinical priorities" ranging from accessible mental health care and strengthening human resilience to preventing suicide and alleviating the symptoms of depression in a single day.

Wilkerson urges business leaders to pick up the mantle to help achieve a series of 'Great Societal Goals' including eradication of hunger, inequality, elderly abuse, eco-anxiety and institutional behaviours that pose risks to the mental health and wellbeing of whole populations.

About Mental Health International

Mental Health International is a not for profit organization. Its objectives are to act as an aggregator across international borders, as necessary, to help businesses and other organizations assemble the appropriate resources to address mental health and productivity issues in their workplaces. It also serves to unify data, ideas and leaders of business and science to promote and protect the mental health of working populations.

About EQ Care

EQ Care offers patients 24/7 national and bilingual online access to a specialized medical and mental health team providing personalized, comprehensive treatment options from any mobile or internet connected device. On the cutting edge of patient care, our mission is to ensure that our patients receive the highest quality service through our leading proprietary virtual health technology platform.

As the market leader in Canadian virtual care with over 30 years of health care experience, an ISO 9001:2015 certification, and over 500,000 virtual medical consultations managed, we are continually innovating to bring cutting edge mobile tools and approaches to our Plan Sponsors and Members.

SOURCE EQ Care