Mental illness can affect anyone and chances are, you know someone who is suffering from the stigma of being associated with the disease.

The third annual "Bell Let's Talk Day" on Tues. Feb. 12 is aimed at educating people and shedding light on the issue of mental illness, which affects one in five Canadians at some point in their lives.

In fact, half a million Canadians miss work each day because of a mental health related issue.

We will start the conversation on CP24 Breakfast, getting people talking about mental health and its implications in social circles and in the workplace.

Throughout the day, we will sit down with a series of experts from the field and conduct interviews with people who have experienced mental illness. We will also ask our viewers to help raise money by sending us text messages. We’ll read some of them out on the air.

On Tuesday, Bell will donate 5 cents for every long-distance call and every text message sent on the Bell network. The company will also donate five cents for every tweet that includes the #BellLetsTalk hashtag. The money raised will help fund grassroots community mental health organizations across the country.

Our partner networks, CTV, TSN, Etalk, MuchMusic, and MTV are also joining the cause with a day of original programming in an effort to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health illnesses.

Let's start the conversation. Be sure to join us on CP24, online at CP24.com and on Twitter @CP24 throughout the day.

Bell is the parent company of CP24.

Here are some disturbing facts about mental health in Canada:

  • At least 1 in 5 Canadians experience a form of mental illness
  • Every one of us has a relative, friend or colleague who will experience mental illness
  • Mental illness represents 15 per cent of Canada's health care needs but receives only five per cent of  available health care funds.
  • Just one-third of Canadians who need mental health services actually receive them
  • Mental illness costs the Canadian economy $51-billion each year in lost productivity. Everyday, 500,000 Canadians are absent from work due to a form of mental illness
  • Mental illness is the number one cause of workplace disability in Canada, accounting for 30 per cent of disability claims and 70 per cent disability costs.