The Role of Virtual Services and AI in Mental Health Care Across Canada

Key Findings

• — 14% reported using AI for mental health support in the past year (9% deliberately used an AI tool; a further 4% used a tool they were unsure included AI); the report extrapolates this to about 6 million people
• — Past-year AI use was higher among people under 35 (27%), men aged 25-34 (29%), newcomers (28%), racialized respondents (23%) and 2SLGBTQ+ respondents (20%)
• — AI users most often used it for everyday well-being (42%), companionship (36%) and mild stress (36%); 20% reported using it during severe emotional distress or crisis
• — 76% of AI-tool users said the tools were very or somewhat effective for their mental health or emotional well-being
• — 14% of respondents reported some trust in AI tools to deliver effective and safe mental health support, and 2% trusted them completely

Methodology Notes

Online survey of 3,519 adults in Canada, data collected February 2026, weighted to census figures on gender, age and region; participants did not know the topic in advance. The item defined AI tools with examples including a chatbot that converses about mood and a mood tracker with automated feedback. The PDF cover is dated June 2026 (file created 2026-06-18); published_date uses the public release, an MHCC news release dated 2026-07-08. MHCC is a federally funded national body and MHRC an independent charity; artifact_type could also be read as government_report.

Sources