Ontario is providing up to $2 million to fund a Youth Regional Coordination Unit for Mushkegowuk Council and to start deploying today, through EMAT, additional emergency health care personnel and support staff to help the community through this crisis.
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“Adolescent aboriginal males are five times more likely to die by suicide than the average Canadian male adolescent”, says the report (excerpt below).
Last Saturday, Attawapiskat’s leaders declared a state of emergency, citing 11 suicide attempts so far in the month of April and 28 recorded attempts in March. “She kept referring to our demands, but they’re not ours, they’re the children’s of Attawapiskat – First Nation children everywhere”. The leading cause of death among indigenous youth and adults younger than 45 is suicide and self-inflicted injuries, according to Health Canada.
Small, remote communities such as Attawapiskat have long-standing issues that affect the mental health of their residents, Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Zimmer told the Canadian Press.They are very, very remote, theyre small, theres no economy, there is a sense especially among the younger people of despair, a lack of opportunity and it leads to depression and anxiety and these sorts of things, Zimmer said.
“I was so impressed at their courage”, Hoskins told The Canadian Press.
Health Minister Jane Philpott said the suicide rates among aboriginal youth were at least 10 times higher than for the general population of young people.
Trudeau has promised to improve conditions for Canada’s indigenous peoples.
“It’s deeply upsetting that when you have children that young that are in such pain or have lost hope that they’re turning to that kind of consideration, it just demonstrates just how serious this situation is and how important action is”, Hoskins said.
Mr. Calfchild said the government isn’t doing enough. “It is completely unacceptable in a country as rich in resources as Canada that young people should get to the point that their life seems worthless and they would want to end it”, she said.
“These are not new issues for [Indigenous Affairs]”, said Carrie Lester, a member of Six Nations of the Grand River and a special needs assistant for the Toronto District School Board.
Federal health officials said on Tuesday that some 18 health workers were being dispatched immediately support the Attawapiskat community.
First Nations leaders who spoke at the committee meeting emphasized that they do not believe budgets are sufficient to deal with the unique needs of the north, where health care delivery is particularly expensive. “We have reached out to First Nations leadership over the past day to identify how we can work together to provide both immediate and long term help”. He called the wave of suicide attempts a “rolling nightmare”.
Quebec Liberal William Amos said 40 suicide attempts in six weeks defies belief, and admitted the discussion leaves him feeling “intensely uncomfortable” as he and his kids have a comfortable place to sleep.
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“If you keep talking about suicide, it’s going to make the other youth want to do it again”, Carissa said.
