From Justin Trudeau to Justin Bieber, a wide range of public figures joined in a global conversation about mental health on Wednesday.
The messages were part of Bell Let's Talk Day, an annual event that encourages supporters to end the stigma around mental illness by speaking up about the issue.
For every text message or call made by Bell customers that day, every tweet with the hashtag #BellLetsTalk and every Facebook share of the , Bell pledged to donate five cents to mental health initiatives.
By Wednesday evening, Bell had recorded more than 100 million Bell Let's Talk interactions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his support early Wednesday morning, encouraging Canadians to join him in working to end the stigma.
±õ³Ù’s day! Let’s work to end the stigma around mental illness. RT this to donate 5¢ to Canadian mental health programs.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)
Other federal politicians also chimed in to the discussion, including , , , and
Provincially, premiers in , ., and shared their own support.
And Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall to residents of the town of La Loche, Sask., where a recent mass shooting shocked the community.
"You don't have to fight alone, especially after tragedy," he said.
You don't have to fight alone especially after tragedy. Help is there
— Brad Wall (@PremierBradWall)
Some of Canada's most famous artists also participated in the event.
Pop star Justin Bieber while rock legends and famed singer both encouraged followers to tweet or retweet #BellLetsTalk messages.
Singer Nelly Furtado tweeted the hashtag with the message "This year, I'm being honest about my own story. I guess talk IS the point."
Last year, I tweeted the hashtags. This year, I'm being honest about my own story. I guess talk IS the point
— Nelly Furtado (@NellyFurtado)
The singer then sent further messages explaining her experiences with , .
Other Canadian artists and also tweeted about the event.
As did American
Comedian shared a #BellLetsTalk message with her 53.2 million followers.
And actor William Shatner went on a tweeting mission, messaging celebrities from around the world and asking them to join in the conversation.
Dearest could you ask your followers to tweet out w/ hashtag to raise money and awareness for mental health?
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner)
Star Wars actor obliged.
Ex-NHL star Theo Fleury with helping him overcome his own struggles with mental illness, and urged others to speak up as well.
"Courage is contagious!" he wrote, "'Me too' are the 2 greatest words I've heard on my journey from others (sic)."
Courage is contagious!!! "Me too" are the 2 greatest words I've heard on my journey from others. "I believe you!" Is another
— Theo Fleury (@TheoFleury14)
Other members of the hockey community, including the and also shared the hashtag.
And in the U.S., did too.
#BellLetsTalk even popped up in Melbourne, where is competing at the Australian Open.
And it caught the attention of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
Hadfield shared the hashtag with the message "Never let your problems go unspoken."
The more subtle the change, the harder it is to solve. Never let your problems go unspoken. Please re-Tweet today. Thanks.
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield)
To learn more about mental health and Bell Let's Talk day, visit the , or CTV's Bell Let's Talk page at .