Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie said mental-health care in Nova Scotia is in a state of crisis and he has the plan to fix it.

On Monday, he unveiled the party's $39.7-million, four-year plan that he said would reduce wait times and improve care.

"Nova Scotians are crying out for more mental-health service," he said.

The party's plan would:

Allow every student in the province to access mental-health services in their school.

Establish four crisis-response centres where people having a mental-health crisis would receive treatment rather than being treated at emergency rooms.

Add more mental-health courts.

Establish a mental health and wellness institute at a Nova Scotia university where research would be conducted.

Create a $250 tax rebate for Nova Scotians with PTSD who have a service dog.

Baillie singles out long Cape Breton wait times

Baillie said the plan would improve mental-health care, especially in Cape Breton, where he said the average wait time to access services is 354 days.

"That is a year worth of ... Nova Scotians suffering from depression, from anxiety, from schizophrenia, from a host of mental illnesses where their lives are literally at risk and they wait a year and we lose some of them while they wait," he said.

In July 2015, the PCs called for an inquiry into the province's mental-health system, something which the governing Liberals turned down.

On Monday, Baillie backed away from that call and said the PCs are looking to make the mental-health system better, but a public inquiry isn't part of its plan.

Liberal plan

Last Friday, the Liberals unveiled their plan to address mental health and promised to spend more than $34 million and hire more than 100 mental-health professionals and support staff.

The Liberal plan also includes:

Hiring mental-health clinicians and support staff to work in schools and the province's more than 70 collaborative care centres across Nova Scotia.

Piloting four youth health centres in Nova Scotia schools.

Passing the post-traumatic stress disorder legislation introduced last month.

Developing an opioid addiction action plan.

The NDP hasn't unveiled its mental health promises.