About 60 people gathered together on Sunday morning in Agassiz for the area's first ever Defeat Depression walk.
The walk was organized by Andrea McRae, and others who have lost loved ones to suicide, or have struggled with depression. MP Mark Strahl joined in the event with his family, and said a few words before the 9 a.m. start.
"I had been hearing about this (national event) for several weeks," he said. "And so I was so thrilled to find out we have an event in our area."
Defeat Depression walk and run events were held across Canada today, organized on a larger scale by the Mood Disorders Society of Canada.
Strahl said he's excited to see the country's new mental health strategy coming to fruition, and that it's something he's planning on working on in the future.
He said it's time for depression and mental health issues to be talked about more openly.
"I have high blood pressure, and no one would say that I am a weak person for that," he said, while the same isn't true for those fighting depression.
"We'll continue to fight the stigma," he said.
Depression affects almost everybody in some way, he said.
"It affects my family, and let's be honest it probably affects every family," he said.
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