We’re active in our advocacy work on behalf of Clients and our industry

Virtual care

Following our launch of Lumino Health Virtual Care powered by Dialogue, we engaged with Health Canada on a consultation on the future of virtual care in Canada. Our advocacy efforts through this consultation were successful, with our insights referenced in the summary report released by Health Canada in June 2021. These insights were centred on two beliefs:

1. That Lumino Health Virtual Care is meant to complement the care provided by our public health care system and doctors and nurses, not compete with it as with other virtual care providers.
2. That provincial governments should continue to enable third parties, such as employers, to complement public health care services through their group insurance benefits and to cover the cost of access to telemedicine consultations, including mental health. This can help governments manage limited health care dollars and better support innovation, choice, and access to digital health care solutions.

Mental health

In 2021, Sun Life developed and contributed to six submissions on workplace mental health to federal and provincial governments.

In addition, our President, Jacques Goulet, met with Québec and Ontario cabinet ministers to discuss Jacques’ mental health pledge and promote Lumino Health. Jacques also worked with governments to raise awareness through social media channels of Sun Life’s $1 million donation to Kids Help Phone.

We also sponsored the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) virtual consultations on mental wellness during and post COVID-19. The result was the release of Mental Wellness in the Workplace: A Playbook for Employers.

We continue to partner with mental health organizations to promote awareness and change. Our 2021 partnerships included the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and The Canadian Psychological Association. We also championed the Buddy Up campaign in support of men’s suicide prevention.