On 16 September 1997, the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) held a press conference during a meeting of the Canadian Psychiatric Association in Calgary, Alberta. The press event was to announce that Calgary would be the pilot site of the global programme to fight stigma and discrimination because of schizophrenia.

Three psychiatrists spoke to journalists about the importance of fighting stigma and discrimination – not only as an issue of social justice but as imperative to effective treatment of schizophrenia. Then, a young woman, by the name of Michelle Miserelli, stepped to the podium and introduced herself as a consumer and a mother who had been invited to speak about the challenges first hand.

‘When I first announced that I was pregnant,’ she told the attendees, ‘my mother's friends asked “When is the abortion going to take place?” That's stigma, a big stigma.’ Save for the sound of video cameras and recording equipment the room fell silent. She went on to talk about her 7-year-old daughter. She talked of the challenges of finding a job. ‘If I tell an employer I have schizophrenia, I won't get the job. If I don't and the employer finds out later, I could be fired.’

For some of the journalists in attendance, it was the first time they had heard an individual with schizophrenia admit to the illness and describe the discrimination she faced. Working with journalists would remain a key element of the efforts of the Local Action Group in Canada.