How is Justin Trottier and the Canadian Centre for Men and Families transforming mental health support for men and boys to address Canada’s high male suicide rate through tailored, practical, and peer-driven solutions?
Justin Trottier, founder of the Canadian Centre for Men and Families (CCMF), discusses the urgent need to address the high male suicide rate—three-quarters of suicides in Canada—and broader mental health crises among men and boys. Trottier outlines CCMF’s hands-on, research-informed approaches, such as Men’s Sheds, peer support groups, shelters for abused fathers, and the Nexus Recovery program. He emphasizes tailoring services to men’s real needs, not forcing them into ill-suited systems. With growing political interest and bipartisan support, CCMF is also advancing equal parenting reform and national policy initiatives for long-overdue gender-balanced care.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How did things develop? What does this medal mean to you?
Justin Trottier: The initial focus was on suicide prevention, and that naturally led to a strong emphasis on the suicide rates among males because they are alarmingly high. In Canada, approximately 75% of all suicide deaths are among men. This has been a particular concern for Senator Patrick Brazeau, who has championed mental health and suicide prevention. Through working on aligned issues, I had the chance to get to know him, and now, people from various sectors are collaborating more actively on these pressing challenges.
Receiving this honour is deeply meaningful. I view it not as recognition of me personally but of the cause I represent—the cause of men and boys. It has been an incredible privilege to play a leadership role and to work with the outstanding team at the Canadian Centre for Men and Families in building innovative, first-of-their-kind services.
Jacobsen: In terms of research, many have reported—and I have observed as well—the consistently higher rates of completed suicides among men. So the real question is: what works when it comes to addressing this widespread and complex societal issue throughout the lifespan of boys and men?
Trottier: That is the million-dollar question. Unfortunately, research in this field remains relatively underdeveloped. We currently lack a comprehensive evidence base that guides effective interventions. There is not a single solution.
Men are complex—just as women are—and a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. For example, traditional talk therapy can be less effective for many men, though not all. That said, we encourage men to seek counselling, and at the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, we offer a range of counselling services specifically tailored to meet men’s needs. So that is undoubtedly one crucial approach.
However, we also explore more practical, activity-based models for improving mental health or at least opening up space for dialogue. One such model is the Men’s Shed movement, which originated in Australia and has since been adopted in Canada and other countries. It initially focused on older men but has proven beneficial across age groups. The model uses the principle of “health by stealth”—engaging men through shared activities like woodworking or fixing things in a communal space, which then organically leads to conversations about life challenges, including mental health.
The idea is to create a safe and informal environment where men feel comfortable opening up—often without realizing they are doing so. Not every man is a tinkerer or a builder, of course, but for many, this approach is practical. Increasingly, journalists and researchers are paying attention to these newer, alternative models of support that are showing promising results.
Jacobsen: Now, about those types of interventions, it almost sounds like a “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” approach—practical, hands-on, and grounded in doing rather than just talking. Are there age differences or life-stage differences that require different types of interventions? For example, some individuals may need more acute, immediate support, while others might benefit from a long-term, gradual approach over time.
Trottier: From the Canadian Centre for Men and Families perspective, our primary focus is on men in crisis. That is an important distinction. There is a definite difference between preventive care and crisis response. One of the modalities I have not yet touched on—but one with which we are most closely associated—is group support. Professionals can facilitate these groups, but they are often peer-led mutual support groups as well.
You have men who share similar lived experiences—some who may be further along in their healing journey—supporting others who are currently struggling. One example from our work is called Nexus Recovery. This is a group specifically for male-identified individuals who have escaped or are working to escape family violence. These men are brought together into a facilitated setting, where the leaders themselves are survivors who have further progressed in the process.
We also run general peer support groups for men. These groups may deal with a wide range of issues, but the central idea remains the same: mutual support—men helping other men. There is an element of therapeutic value, as well as an efficient and empowering approach. These groups enable men to support one another, share agency, and give each other permission to discuss complex topics openly and honestly.
This model has proven especially useful for men in acute crisis because it validates their experiences and shows them they are not alone. They can see that others have survived similar situations and, importantly, learn concrete steps to manage their crises. Men, generally speaking—and I want to avoid overgeneralizing—often respond well to practical, step-by-step advice. When they see that there is, in fact, a light at the end of the tunnel and that someone else has walked the path and can offer tools for navigating it, that can be profoundly helpful.
Jacobsen: One thing I have noticed is that male crises—such as those leading to suicide—are broadly acknowledged across many sectors in Canadian culture. Feminists, Christians, humanists, and others all recognize the problem. However, what I often see are two inadequate responses: a “do nothing” approach or a “force-fit” approach where men are pushed into systems that were never designed for them. How is your approach different in meeting men in crisis where they are while still addressing commonalities in the symptomatology they may share with others?
Trottier: That is a key observation. It is interesting that you used the phrase “meeting them where they are” because that is part of our organizational blueprint—it even appears in our mission statement.
When we opened the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, the core idea was to treat men as whole individuals and to recognize their agency. Far too often, mental health systems and therapeutic models are designed without boys and men in mind. Then, when men struggle to engage with those systems, they are blamed or pathologized for not fitting. Our work is about reversing that dynamic—about creating services built with their unique needs, challenges, and strengths in mind from the ground up.
Yes, this was always going to be different. We set out with the goal of actually listening to men—to understand their needs, unique challenges, and how they want to address those challenges—and then building programs around those insights to ensure the interventions would be effective. We are committed to ongoing learning, conducting evaluations, assessing what works and what does not, and making adjustments as needed.
Now that it has been about a decade, we have refined and honed some of the best practices for serving men and boys. That is why our programs today are built from the lessons we have learned on the ground. Some of these programs exist precisely because we listened closely.
One example is our Survivors of False Allegations program. It is unique. I do not know of any other organization that runs a flagship program specifically for people—primarily men—who are dealing with false allegations, particularly in the context of family law or domestic violence cases. We kept hearing from men navigating family court and legal systems who said that false allegations were a significant part of their struggle. Therefore, we established a group that addresses this issue directly.
Similarly, the idea of opening men’s shelters was not part of our original strategy. However, again and again, we heard from men—particularly fathers—who said they had faced homelessness, even if temporarily, due to family violence. They told us there was nowhere they could go with their children when they hit rock bottom. That became a significant focus for us. What started as a side project has now become a central part of our work.
Today, a significant portion of our work involves opening and operating emergency crisis facilities for fathers and children. We have opened two such shelters—one in Toronto and one in Calgary. That entire development came from having our ear to the ground, and our responses—in both organizational direction and service delivery—were shaped by that grassroots feedback.
Jacobsen: Have there been other politicians, aside from Senator Brazeau, who have supported your work or at least taken interest when they were informed of what CCMF is doing?
Trottier: Yes, there have been. We are currently working with a coalition of organizations to establish a Parliamentary Caucus on Men and Boys. The idea is to bring together Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum to support initiatives that focus on the wellbeing of men and boys. One of the flagship legislative goals of this caucus is equal parenting reform.
We want to introduce a bill that would enshrine a rebuttable presumption of equal parenting in cases of separation and divorce—so that both parents are presumed to be equally involved unless proven otherwise. This initiative has gained momentum, and we are working to gain nonpartisan support from MPs across all parties.
In addition to Senator Brazeau, I also had the opportunity to connect with Senator René Cormier, a Liberal senator. About a year ago, I was invited to speak before a Senate committee reviewing legislation related to gender-based violence. After my presentation, Senator Cormier approached me, and we have continued corresponding ever since.
There is also an MP I do not know very well personally, but he might be someone you want to consider interviewing—Matt Jeneroux, from Edmonton. He is quite interesting. He started a foundation—I believe it is called the High Dad Foundation—and they host major events on Parliament Hill every year around Father’s Day.
I assume they have something planned for a couple of weeks. Although we are not currently in close collaboration, we hope to establish a relationship with him and join forces on future initiatives.
So, just to confirm, Senator René Cormier is interested in proposing a formal study focused on men and boys, particularly in the areas of gender-based violence and mental health.
There is also another MP, Pat Pieterun, based in Edmonton. I do not know him very well, so consider interviewing him. He founded the High Dad Foundation, which organizes annual events on Parliament Hill around Father’s Day. They focus on promoting fatherhood and family engagement. We are not yet closely connected, but we hope to collaborate with him in the future.
Jacobsen: Yes, thank you very much.
Trottier: Thank you, Scott. I appreciate it as well.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is Secretary of, and Chair of the Media Committee for, The New Enlightenment Project. He is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
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