A look at the good and the bad to come out of #BellLetsTalkDay
Introduction to Bell Let’s Talk Day
Bell Let's Talk Day was founded in 2010 by the Canadian telecommunications company, Bell Canada, to address stigma regarding mental illness. It takes place every late January.
To raise money for various Canadian mental health initiatives and organizations, Bell pledged to donate 5 cents for every text or social media interaction containing the hashtag '#BellLetsTalk.' Over the years, Bell has contributed over $139 million to mental health initiatives across the country.
This year, Bell has decided to commit to donating a lump sum of $10 million dollars instead of donations based on social media interactions. There is speculation that the reason for this change comes from recent controversies surrounding the company, and thus wanting to avoid the negative press.
Let's review some of those controversies as well as look at the impact this campaign has had on Canadians.
Positive Impacts of the Campaign for Canadians
Let's start with the good, because it will be quick. This campaign is well known to Canadians, and has helped many open up on social media to tell their stories. This has a ripple effect that then helps others feel less alone. The letstalk.bell.ca page outlines some objective accomplishments since the campaign began. For example:
1400+ organizations providing mental health supports and services throughout Canada supported.
5,556,332 Canadians have been supported with access to mental health services through programs funded.
1/3 of Canadians say they have taken action related to mental health since Bell Let’s Talk Day began.
The campaign sounds like a good idea in theory, and it has undoubtedly achieved a lot of good, but the paradox of corporate activism comes into play when explored in practice.
The Paradox of Corporate Activism
Some argue that this campaign is more about marketing than mental health. And that's a fair assumption – Bell made sure to include their name in the hashtag, allowing for free publicity and simultaneously promoting a positive corporate message associated with their 'activism.'
Additionally, Bell has repeatedly used the existence of this campaign to avoid taking responsibility. When allegations regarding abuse within the company came to light (more on that soon), Bell denied them by touting their status as a 'mental health leader' recognized by the government and other corporations. But no one is perfect, and no matter how much good a campaign does, no one is above the need for constructive criticism. A true ally knows that there is always room to grow.
Furthermore, one mental health advocate notes that advertisers may be using the campaign to target individuals sharing their personal stories to buy things like self-help books, supplements, anti-anxiety blankets, and so on. This would help them to determine who would be more likely to buy certain goods and services.
How Much Money Has Been Donated?
$139 million sounds like a lot of money – and it is, for us. But for a huge company like Bell, it's not as significant as you think. As previously mentioned, Bell has donated $139 million to Canadian mental health initiatives over 13 years. But in just 2021 alone, Bell's annual operating revenue came to $23.45 billion. To be clear, $139 million, which was donated across over a decade, makes up less than 0.6% of their revenue for a single year.
If you're thinking about how their revenue may have increased significantly since then, well, it has, but in 2010, they were still earning over $18 billion. It's also worth mentioning how much mental health care costs. The annual economic cost of mental illness in Canada is estimated at over $50 billion per year. Yes, donating something is better than nothing, but Bell has the means to do more if they really wanted to.
Alleged Mistreatment of Staff
Bell has been repeatedly criticized for their alleged mistreatment of staff. Hundreds of employees have described the harmful culture 'created by the top, down.' Current and former employees have reported panic attacks in the workplace, stress-induced nausea and vomiting, and frequently crying before shifts due to the pressure to meet sales targets.
A former sales rep in Montreal writes, "The second I told my doctor that I worked at Bell after she heard the symptoms, she did not hesitate to prescribe a leave. Doctors everywhere are apparently well aware of what I call 'The Bell Effect.'" |
The complaints don't end there. Employees have not hesitated to file claims with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). For example, cell centre employee Andrea Rizzo claimed discrimination due to a disability, and television personality Patricia Jaggernauth describes a systemic pattern of racism, sexism, and discrimination.
Lisa LaFlamme's termination is one that upset many. Many people, including CTV journalists believe that the former chief anchor of CTV National News was fired after daring to stand up to her male boss, Michael Melling, who continues to be employed by Bell today.
With this many stories, it sounds like Bell has some work to do when it comes to incorporating compassion into their workplace culture.
Profiting off Vulnerable Populations
Mentally ill people are currently disproportionately represented in Canada's jails and prisons and Bell is profiting off them.
Ottawa criminal defence lawyer Michael Spratt has called out Bell Canada for their exclusive contract to provide phone services for inmates in provincial jails at high rates, preventing this vulnerable population from speaking with family, counsellors, and other support systems.
2017 documents also show that the Ontario provincial government gets a commission from every collect call made from provincial jails. Both Bell and the government have refused to report their profits related to this contract.
It may cost an inmate up to $30 for a 20-minute long-distance call! And for most, these calls will be long distance ones. |
Mental Illness Beyond Anxiety and Depression
If this campaign is to continue, something important to consider is spreading awareness and starting conversations about all mental illnesses, not just generalized anxiety and depression.
This isn't to say that anxiety and depression are no longer associated with stigma, but they definitely have less stigma than say, personality disorders or psychotic disorders, which are still wildly misunderstood by many Canadians. We can't fight myths about mental illness without knowing the facts in the first place.
There are so many mental illnesses, but Bell continues to focus on the ones deemed 'less taboo' to talk openly about. There is no longer anything groundbreaking about this. Being 'aware' that a mental illness exists doesn't do much good if people aren't taking the time to actually understand it by listening to experts and those with lived experience. Everyone benefits when we break down stereotypes.
Bell has also created advertisements with triggering content (i.e. purging to indicate an eating disorder), which shows that they either don't care enough to listen to mentally ill people about what may trigger them, or they know and choose to ignore it.
Acknowledging Intersectionality
When it comes to acknowledging intersectional identities, Bell has only recently begun to do so. This means addressing the hardships marginalized (particularly racialized) groups experience in accessing already difficult to access mental health care. It also includes acknowledging the impact intergenerational trauma has on an individual and families, for example.
Mental health care cannot be discussed without acknowledging the impacts of colonialism and system racism that persists to this day, affecting both the mental and physical health of communities. We need accessible, culturally conscious care now.
Intersectionality: The concept of intersectionality describes the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects. This acknowledges that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression. |
Focus on Individual Responsibility
Finally, when we have a mental health campaign created by a huge corporation that consciously chooses to focus on what individuals can do, rather than our government, there's something wrong.
Placing so much responsibility on individuals without acknowledging the underfunded and inaccessible mental health care services in this country, recognizing the lasting effects of colonialism, or exploring actions to improve current systems in place that are failing Canadians (ex. Lack of affordable housing), and so on, is not the most effective way to go about improving the mental health of communities.
We also need to be talking about how the eligibility criteria for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) may be changing very soon (March 17, 2023) to allow for people to meet criteria because of a mental illness. This isn't supposed to be an easy criteria to meet, but doctors are already bringing it up to patients, which many ethicists argue should not be done unless brought up by the patient first. When we allow people to die before funding adequate mental health care, we are telling them that we don't care. If Bell were to speak up about something like this, that could bring some much needed awareness.
Things You Can Do To Improve Mental Health Care and Education Across Canada:
Follow reputable mental health organizations to stay informed
Listen to the perspectives of people with lived experience, especially those of various marginalized identities
Advocate for increased funding towards mental health services and defunding of the police
Call on Bell Canada to reevaluate contract with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services that allows them to profit off vulnerable populations (exclusivity to provide phone services for inmates in provincial jails)
Call for drug treatment and support programs post-release from prisons
Call for an end to punitive drug laws
Have conversations about mental illnesses beyond anxiety and depression and call out myths/reflect on your biases
Anyhow, I hope you learned something and take some time out of your day to educate yourself and/or others. And of course, take care of you!
References
Bell Let’s Talk. (n.d.). Bell Let’s Talk. Retrieved from https://letstalk.bell.ca/
Brown, J. (2022). Bell executive who fired Lisa Laflamme interfered with CTV news coverage, says colleague. Canadaland. Retrieved from https://www.canadaland.com/bell-executive-who-fired-lisa-laflamme-interfered-with-ctv-news-coverage-says-colleague/
CAMH. (2020). Mental illness and addiction: Facts and statistics. Retrieved from https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/the-crisis-is-real/mental-health-statistics#:~:text=Costs%20to%20society,health%2Drelated%20quality%20of%20life.&text=The%20annual%20economic%20cost%20of%20substance%20use%20in,estimated%20at%20nearly%20%2440%20billion.
Canadian Press Staff. (2022). Bell pushes back against accusations surrounding LaFlamme departure, coverage. CTV News. Retrieved from https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/bell-pushes-back-against-accusations-surrounding-laflamme-departure-coverage-1.6047444
CBC Radio. (2020). Company behind Bell Let's Talk profits off vulnerable inmates through phone deal with jails: lawyer. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.5443076/company-behind-bell-let-s-talk-profits-off-vulnerable-inmates-through-phone-deal-with-jails-lawyer-1.5444598
Chen, A. (2021). Bell, let’s talk: Mental illness isn’t Michael Bublé watering plants. The Queen’s Journal. Retrieved from https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2021-02-01/editorials/bell-lets-talk-mental-illness-isnt-michael-buble-watering-plants/
Duffy, E. (2018). Let’s Talk: The hypocrisy of Bell Canada and mental health under capitalism. Retrieved from https://www.marxist.ca/article/lets-talk-the-hypocrisy-of-bell-canada-and-mental-health-under-capitalism
Evans, P. (2023). Bell replaces pledge of 5 cents per text on Let's Talk Day with lump-sum $10M donation. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bell-canada-let-s-talk-1.6708000
Gallant, M. (2022). Bell Let’s Talk garners mixed reviews from Ontarians this year. Streets of Toronto. Retrieved from https://streetsoftoronto.com/removing-stigma-is-just-the-beginning-to-address-mental-health-care-in-ontario/
Hristova, B. (2019). Bell Let’s Talk is more about marketing than mental health, Canadian researcher says. National Post. Retrieved from https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/bell-lets-talk-is-more-about-marketing-than-mental-health-researcher-says
Johnson, E. (2017). Bell ‘Let’s Talk’ campaign rings hollow for employees suffering panic attacks, vomiting and anxiety. CBC. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/bell-employees-stressed-by-sales-targets-1.4418876
Kirkey, S. (2022). Canadian doctors encouraged to bring up medically assisted death before their patients do. National Post. Retrieved from https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-maid-medical-aid-in-dying-consent-doctors
Martin, S. (2022). Hypocrisy aside, Bell’s ‘let’s talk’ campaign is deeply harmful. Passage. Retrieved from https://readpassage.com/hypocrisy-aside-bells-lets-talk-campaign-is-deeply-harmful/
Nasser, S. (2022). CP24 personality alleges 'systemic pattern' of discrimination in human rights claim against Bell Media. CP24. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/patricia-jaggernauth-cp24-bell-discrimination-1.6608357
Picard, A. (2023). The Bell Let’s Talk initiative has made a difference, but it’s time for action. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-bell-lets-talk-initiative-has-made-a-difference-but-its-time-for/
Redmond, L. (2022). Opinion: Bell, let’s talk about Bell Let’s Talk Day. Fulcrum. Retrieved from https://thefulcrum.ca/opinions/opinion-bell-lets-talk-about-bell-lets-talk-day/
Sui, A., & Katzman, E. (2021). Bell, let’s talk about #colonialism, #racism and #ableism. The Conservation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/bell-lets-talk-about-colonialism-racism-and-ableism-153823
Taylor, P. (2023). Annual operating revenue generated by Bell Canada from 2010 to 2021. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/476824/bell-canada-operating-revenue-annual/
Vido, J. (2019). A critical investigation of Bell Let’s Talk. Retrieved from https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1085&context=major-papers
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