FR
VIDEO
“It’s not only about the migrants, it’s about the migrants and us as a majority… just like in a couple we’re part of the equation.”
Cécile Rousseau, Director of the Transcultural Child Psychiatry Clinic at the Montreal Children’s Hospital proposes a widening of focus when we think of immigrants and mental health to include the majority population. How does a host population feel about immigrants? Is the host community welcoming to this group? Dr. Rousseau discusses inter-community tensions between immigrant groups and the majority population and the tendency, when either group is feeling threatened, to close inwards, exacerbating tensions. Integration and adaptation into a new community is an important factor in the mental health of new Canadians and Dr. Rousseau stresses that all Canadians, new and established, play a part in it.