Opinion: Aboriginal suicide an issue for us all – The StarPhoenix

10.31.2016

Dr. Richard Thatcher

The tragedy of recent teenage suicides in northern Saskatchewan should cut to the sympathetic core of all of our hearts. Of course, the grief that so many of us feel cannot come close to the overwhelming heartache of the family members and close friends of these children. What we do have as common sentiments, however, should be joined to fuel a collective urge to action.

Chief Tammy Cooke-Searson of the La Ronge First Nation and FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron should be listened to when they say that all of Saskatchewan and all levels of government with overlapping jurisdictions are needed in working together to develop a plan of action to prevent future tragedies of this kind among aboriginal youth.

I have worked as a social and health planning consultant with Métis and First Nations communities in much of the province for several decades and in this capacity, I have lived for a year on one large reserve. That experience combined with much of my research has inspired me to offer some thoughts regarding some elements that could usefully be included in a sustained plan of action. I make these suggestions in the spirit of the saying that it takes a whole community to raise a child. In the modern world, all of us are members of the very different and wider community that is now required to nurture young people of any background.

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