One day, one job

The job for June 13 is simple: Get more men to talk to the men in their lives, and point them to free Canadian help. In 2025, the simple instruction set was: ask one man if he is actually doing OK, share one Canadian resource link, send one private check-in.

One ask

“Are you okay, like actually?” Canadian men kept telling us in 2025 that adding “actually” to the standard “are you OK” was the small change that pulled real answers out.

One share

We pinned Talk Suicide Canada (988) to the top of every account we run, all day. Free, 24/7, anywhere in Canada. We linked Indigenous men to the Hope for Wellness Helpline at 1-855-242-3310. Anyone wanting low-barrier counselling went to 988 Talk Suicide Canada at .

One private check-in

The asks that landed hardest in 2025 were the private ones. A direct message. A text. A short voice note. Not a public post. Just one man choosing one man.

What the numbers say about why this day matters

• Roughly 75% of suicide deaths in Canada, per the Mental Health Commission of Canada citing the Public Health Agency of Canada are men, per Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
• Per the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation‘s 2025 Canadian Men’s Health Study (Intensions Consulting, n=2,000), nearly 2 in 3 Canadian men have never used mental health services.
• 64% of Canadian men in that same study reported moderate-to-high stress.

What we heard from men today

“I have been waiting for an excuse to send the message”

That one came up over and over. Awareness days are not, on their own, going to save lives. What they do is hand a man a reason to break the silence with a friend. June 13 was that reason for a lot of men this year.

“I did not know there was a Canadian men’s day”

That is not surprising. Men’s Mental Health Awareness Day does not have a federal proclamation. It exists because grassroots Canadian movements like ours, partner organizations, and provincial bills like Manitoba’s Bill 217 for Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week have given it space.

“What is happening on June 27?”

Good question. June 27 is National PTSD Awareness Day per Statistics Canada, inside PTSD Awareness Month, which overlaps Men’s Mental Health Month all of June.

Where we are taking this in 2026

We are going bigger. The 2026 plan is one number, one campaign, and four anchor days inside one month.

The number, as many Canadian men as we can

Our community has grown across Canada year over year. The June 2026 goal: is to reach as many Canadian men as we can in June 2026.

The campaign, #BeTheFlare

Peer-to-peer Instagram videos. One sentence about something you wish you had told your younger self, two brothers’ names said out loud on camera, 48 hours to pass it on. Read more on the Speak Up page.

The four anchor moments

• Men’s Mental Health Month, all of June.
• Men’s Mental Health Week, June 9 to 15.
• Men’s Mental Health Awareness Day, June 13.
• PTSD Awareness Month and National PTSD Awareness Day on June 27.

If today is hard

If today is the day, do not wait. Call or text 988. Indigenous men, Hope for Wellness at 1-855-242-3310. Free counselling, 988 Talk Suicide Canada at . Our full resource list is here. Sources: Statistics Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, Manitoba Bill 217, 988 Talk Suicide Canada.

Verified Canadian resources for men

If you are looking for further Canadian information beyond MenTELL, two trusted sources to bookmark are HeadsUpGuys, a free men’s depression resource built at the University of British Columbia, and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, the Canadian non, profit behind the 2025 Canadian Men’s Health Study and the Don’t Change Much platform.

If you, or a man you love, are in crisis, please call or text 9-8-8. Free. 24/7. Anywhere in Canada.

The post Men’s Mental Health Awareness Day, How We Showed Up in 2025 appeared first on MenTELL Health.

Across Canada, too many of us are holding it in. Stress. Pressure. Grief. Shame. We show up to work, to family dinners, to locker rooms, and we say we’re fine. But we’re not. And it’s costing us.

Men are taught early that showing emotion is weakness. That real strength is staying silent. So we learn to put on the mask. The confident one. The calm one. The one that says nothing is wrong, even when everything is heavy.

The Canadian Mental Health Association calls this masking. It’s when we hide parts of ourselves to stay accepted or safe. We may not even realize we’re doing it. But over time, masking takes a toll on our minds, our bodies, and our relationships. CMHA, What is Masking Factsheet

What Hiding It All Does to Us

When we mask every day, it’s not just emotionally draining. It disconnects us from who we really are. We lose track of what we need. We shut down in places where we used to feel alive. We stop asking for help, and start convincing ourselves we don’t deserve it anyway.

At MenTELL, we’ve heard from men who said they didn’t know how bad it had gotten until it almost broke them. Others said they had no words for what they were feeling, so they kept it inside. But what we’ve also seen is this… once one man speaks up, others follow. Not because we have answers, but because someone finally said something real.

There Is No One Way to Be a Man

The idea that we all have to act a certain way to be accepted is not helping any of us. There is no one way to be a man. We can be strong and open. We can be steady and scared. We can lead and still ask for help.

There is no normal. What matters is that we’re honest. With ourselves. With our people. That’s where connection starts. That’s where healing begins.

We Don’t Have to Carry It Alone

If you’ve been holding it in, this is your invitation to let it out. Start small. Text someone. Say more than “I’m fine.” You don’t need to be fixed. You just need space to be real.

Call or text 988 if you’re struggling. It’s free and available across Canada, anytime.

Want to hear from other men who’ve unmasked their story? Visit MenTELL.ca/SpeakUp and read what others are sharing. Or add your own story, your own truth, your own voice.

Because when we speak, we make it easier for someone else to do the same.

The post The Mask Men Wear appeared first on MenTELL Health.

This week across Canada, we are speaking up about something too many of us have carried alone. Men’s Mental Health Week has officially begun, and together with CMHA National, we’re inviting more men into a conversation that matters. At MenTELL, we’re not therapists or experts. We are everyday men who’ve lived through the weight of silence and know what it feels like to carry more than we show.

Unmasking Men’s Mental Health

What It Means to Be Real in a Culture of Silence

The national theme this year is Unmasking Mental Health. We’ve been told to push through, to man up, to keep it all in. But that silence is costing lives. Unmasking doesn’t mean breaking down. It means being honest. It means letting go of the need to pretend everything’s fine when it isn’t. It means being real with ourselves and each other so we can begin to heal. You can read CMHA’s full campaign guide here.

The Suicide Crisis Facing Canadian Men

Why Speaking Up Can Help Save Lives

Every day in this country, eleven men die by suicide. That’s over four thousand lives lost each year. Seventy-five percent of all suicide deaths in Canada are men. This is not just a statistic. These are our fathers, our brothers, our coworkers, our teammates, and our friends. That data comes from CMHA’s national report, which you can view here.

Why MenTELL Exists

Our Stories Are Changing the Conversation

We created MenTELL because we knew silence wasn’t working. And we’ve seen how powerful it is when one man speaks up. It makes room for others to do the same. When we share our stories honestly and without judgment, we begin to break down the walls that have held us back for too long. If you want to learn more about what we do, visit MenTELL.ca.

How to Take Action During Men’s Mental Health Week

Share Your Story and Support Each Other

This week, we’ll be sharing stories from men across the country. We’ll talk about the tools that help us stay grounded. We’ll invite others to speak up and be part of this growing community. And we’ll highlight real, free mental health resources like BounceBack, a guided self-help program from CMHA that’s available to anyone in Canada.

Free Mental Health Support Is Available

Call or Text 988 Anytime Across Canada

If you or someone you care about is struggling, you do not have to carry it alone. You can call or text 988 anytime. It’s free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, anywhere in Canada.

We Are MenTELL

Everyday Men Across Canada Uniting for Change

We are proud to be part of a movement that believes speaking up is strength. We are men from all walks of life, firefighters, students, veterans, tradesmen, entrepreneurs, fathers, who decided to stop pretending everything was fine. We believe every voice matters. Every story matters. And we believe this week is for all of us. If you’ve been holding it in, this is your invitation to let it out. Let’s break the silence together. Let’s unmask what we’ve been carrying. Let’s remind each other that there is help, there is hope, and we are not alone. Learn more or get involved at MensMentalHealthWeek.ca

Verified Canadian resources for men

If you are looking for further Canadian information beyond MenTELL, two trusted sources to bookmark are HeadsUpGuys, a free men’s depression resource built at the University of British Columbia, and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, the Canadian non, profit behind the 2025 Canadian Men’s Health Study and the Don’t Change Much platform.

If you, or a man you love, are in crisis, please call or text 9-8-8. Free. 24/7. Anywhere in Canada.

The post Men’s Mental Health Week Starts Now appeared first on MenTELL Health.

Jun 3, 2025

June 9, 16 is Men’s Mental Health Week, a national opportunity to talk openly about a silent crisis affecting millions of men across the country.

For generations, men have been taught to “tough it out,” suppress their emotions, and hide their struggles. These outdated norms continue to fuel a culture where too many men suffer in silence, wearing masks to conceal how they’re really feeling.

Cultural expectations, stigma, and toxic masculinity often prevent men from opening up about mental health or reaching out for help. Left unspoken, these pressures can lead to serious outcomes: isolation, depression, substance use, risk-taking behaviours, anger, and far too often, suicide.

The Alarming Reality

Mental health challenges don’t discriminate. But when it comes to how they affect men, the numbers are staggering:

• Men die by suicide at a rate three times higher than women
• Nearly 75% of suicide deaths in Canada, per the Mental Health Commission of Canada citing the Public Health Agency of Canada, roughly 4,000 each year, are men
• Men are significantly less likely to seek help or attend therapy

These aren’t just statistics, they’re fathers, brothers, sons, partners, and friends, lost to silence and shame. Men’s Mental Health Week reminds us of the urgency to break that silence.

Changing the Narrative: One Story at a Time

To shift the culture, organizations like MenTELL.ca are building safe, supportive communities where men can speak freely, share their experiences, and support one another.

“Our goal has been to break the stigma and shatter the silence by helping men unmask what they’re carrying and get the help they need. We’re not therapists, but we’re listeners. We encourage men to speak up, reach out, and find their circle of trust, because those people are out there.”

“During Men’s Mental Health Week, we invite men to tag or collaborate with us @MenTELL.ca on social media by sharing something they do for their mental health, something that helps them stay grounded.”

,  Zak Hussein, Founder of MenTELL.ca

Through storytelling and connection, MenTELL and similar initiatives are redefining strength, not as stoicism, but as the courage to be vulnerable and honest.

How You Can Support Men’s Mental Health

During Men’s Mental Health Week (June 9, 16, 2025) and beyond, here’s how we can all help shift the conversation and support men in meaningful ways:

• Start the conversation: Ask the men in your life how they’re really doing, then listen without judgment.
• Normalize support: Encourage seeking professional help just like you would for physical health.
• Share resources: Point to communities and tools where men can find connection.
• Challenge outdated norms: Help redefine masculinity to include empathy, openness, and healing.

Local Resources and Support

At CMHA Calgary, we are committed to helping men access the support they need, free of judgment and full of hope. If you or someone you know is struggling, these tools can help:

• Buddy Up Campaign: A men’s suicide prevention movement built by and for men
• BounceBack®: Free CBT-based mental health coaching for stress, anxiety, or low mood
• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 9-8-8, 24/7, for immediate, confidential support
• CMHA Calgary: Explore local peer support, community programs, and wellness resources

Let’s use Men’s Mental Health Week to break down barriers, unmask the silence, and remind every man that he is never alone.

Because real strength starts with real conversation.

Verified Canadian resources for men

If you are looking for further Canadian information beyond MenTELL, two trusted sources to bookmark are HeadsUpGuys, a free men’s depression resource built at the University of British Columbia, and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, the Canadian non, profit behind the 2025 Canadian Men’s Health Study and the Don’t Change Much platform.

If you, or a man you love, are in crisis, please call or text 9-8-8. Free. 24/7. Anywhere in Canada.

The post Unmasking Men’s Mental Health: Breaking the Silence During Men’s Mental Health Week appeared first on MenTELL Health.

Why this week, every year

The Canadian Mental Health Association uses this week to spotlight a specific crisis: men in Canada die by suicide at roughly three times the rate of women, according to Statistics Canada. About 3,000 of the approximately 4,000 lives lost to suicide each year are men.

What Canadian men told us in 2024

“Speak up before the breaking point”

That was the theme of the week for our community. We received messages from men in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI. Most of them said the same thing: they wished they had spoken up earlier.

The conversation has to start small

Men told us repeatedly that the first conversation cannot be a clinical one. We wrote about that in We’re Not Weak for Needing Help. We’re Human. A coffee, a drive, a text, that is where it actually starts.

Local resources matter most

Men told us that the moment they decide to ask for help, they need a local option. We rebuilt our Resources page around that, mapping by province and need. The Mental Health Commission of Canada has a similar list we link out to.

How our network showed up

Stories

We published Unmasking Men’s Mental Health at the start of the week and Men’s Mental Health Week Starts Now as a daily check-in.

Partners

Across the week we boosted Canadian Men’s Health Foundation events, Canadian Centre for Men and Families peer groups, and HeadsUpGuys from the University of British Columbia. None of this is a one-org job.

Crisis lines stayed front and centre

Every story we published was followed by the same line: call or text 988 to reach Talk Suicide Canada, free and 24/7. Indigenous men were directed to the Hope for Wellness Helpline at 1-855-242-3310. Anyone wanting low-barrier counselling went to 988 Talk Suicide Canada at .

What 2024 changed for us

We changed our defaults

We started planning for 2026 now

We are already working with partners on Men’s Mental Health Month 2026 and the next iteration of #BeTheFlare. The 2024 week told us: do not wait until May to start.

Thank you

Thank you to every man who shared a story, every partner who shared a link, and every reader who forwarded one of our posts to a friend. If you want to be part of 2026, our Speak Up page is the door. Sources: Statistics Canada, CMHA, Mental Health Commission of Canada.

The post Men’s Mental Health Week 2024, What We Actually Heard appeared first on MenTELL Health.