Canadian Indigenous suicide rates are double the National suicide rate
According to The Human Face of Mental Health and Mental Illness in Canada, a 2006 report by the Public Health Agency of Canada, First Nations suicide rates for youth (aged 15 to 24 years) across Canada is 5 to 6 times higher than the rates for non-Indigenous peoples. Higher rates are seen among males than females.
Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario made headlines in the spring of 2016 when the reserve declared a state of emergency after 11 young people tried to end their lives by suicide. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated event.
The suicide rate is higher for Indigenous People as they are faced with many of these risk factors as a result of colonization and the lasting effects of the residential school system.
Indigenous organizations have initiatedsuicide intervention and prevention programsto address the Indigenous suicide issue that has impacted many Indigenous communities and families. These programs focus on integrating Indigenous values and cultural teachings.
The National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy developed by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami was one of the first national Canadian strategies developed that have proven to be successful.
