Confronting suicide among Canada’s indigenous communities

On Monday, April 18 at 19:30 GMT:

The Attawapiskat First Nation, in Northern Ontario, recently declared a state of emergency after 11 young people tried to kill themselves in one day. The community, home to 2000 people, has been dealing with a suicide crisis for decades. But in the last seven months, there have been more than 100 suicide attempts, renewing the demand for immediate action.

 

This is not a new phenomenon among some First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. Suicide and self-inflicting injuries are some of the leading causes of death for First Nations people under the age of 44. And suicide rates among Inuit youth are one of the highest in the world.

 

Studies say unemployment, poor infrastructure and lack of access to quality healthcare and education are just some of the factors pushing individuals to attempt suicide. This is why members within these communities are fighting for a multifaceted strategy to address these issues.

 

In this episode, we’ll get into the root causes of why this is still happening, and find out what’s being done to prevent it. 
 

Read more:

Julian NoiseCat @jnoisecat
Writer

Gerald McKinley @GeraldMckinley
Medical Anthropologist, Western University
schulich.uwo.ca

Jocelyn Iahtail
Former resident Attawapiskat

Pamela D Palmater @Pam_Palmater
Mi’kmaw Lawyer & Professor, Ryerson University
indigenousnationhood.com

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