A Guelph, Ont. teen visited Parliament Hill on Thursday to tell his painful personal story and bring attention to how Canada is failing those who struggle with mental illness.

“I told my story of losing both my mom and my dad to mental [illness],” 17-year-old Noah Irvine said of a letter he sent to parliamentarians earlier this year.

Irvine’s dad died three years ago from an overdose. When he was only five, his mother died of suicide. Irvine told this difficult story earlier this year in a letter he sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and all members of parliament, saying, “Canada is one of the few developed nations that does not have a national suicide prevention plan.”

But out of 336 letters, only 40 parliamentarians initially replied. After going public last month, 20 more responded, including the Health Minister’s office, which offered up today’s meeting in Ottawa, acknowledging that something has to change.

“We had a really good conversation about the type of work that is being done now,” Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor told CTV Kitchener alongside Irvine after their meeting. “And we also talked about collaboration, I would say, that we have to stop working in silos at the community level, at the provincial level and also at the national level.”

As for Irvine, despite being an orphan, he is far from being alone.

“He’s an amazing young man,” his maternal grandfather, Ross Irvine, told CTV Kitchener.

“He has taken a very, very tough situation and he has run with it,” his maternal grandmother, Donna Irvine, added. “He’s brought such light to the subject.”

Irvine’s paternal grandfather agrees, saying that his grandson is wise beyond his years.

“I have observed how much power one person can have when they have both a powerful story and a meaningful cause and a capacity to speak,” Gord Martin said.

On Thursday, Irvine appealed to have someone co-ordinate all levels of government on this issue. He also plans to continue sharing his story.

“So that more people can and will feel comfortable coming and talking,” he said with the Health Minister at his side. “Because that’s the only way to affect change.”

With a report from CTV Kitchener’s Nicole Lampa