Inuit Groups Celebrate Life and Culture on World Suicide Prevention Day

September 10, 2008 – Ottawa, Ontario – On World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10th, Inuit organizations in Ottawa are holding a gathering with Inuit throat singing, traditional games and cultural activities on Parliament Hill to celebrate and show the strengths of the Inuit way of life.Inuit living and working in Ottawa, Inuit visiting the city from the North, and the general public are invited to join the National Inuit Youth Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, Inuit Circumpolar Council, and the Ajunnginiq Centre of the National Aboriginal Health Organization at noon on September 10, near the eternal flame on Parliament Hill.

The event will celebrate Inuit culture and recognize the contributions that Inuit across Canada are making in the areas of suicide prevention and mental health promotion.

“On this day I want youth to focus on life,” said Acting National Inuit Youth Council President Megan Pizzo-Lyall. “Know that obstacles can be overcome, cherish human life, savour the beauty of being alive, and let‟s help each other overcome the roadblocks of life so that we can build a better future for all of us.”

World Suicide Prevention Day is marked globally on September 10th each year. It first began in 2003 when the International Association of Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization designated the day to bring attention to the issue worldwide. Many of the day’s events happening in Inuit communities are taking a positive approach. The day is known as “Embrace Life Day” in Nunavut, “Celebrate Life Day” in Nunatsiavut, and “Live Life Day” in Nunavik.

“Canada needs to take this issue seriously,” said national Inuit leader Mary Simon. “Canada must develop a national suicide prevention strategy and within this Strategy recognize that there is an ongoing need for an enhanced sustainable National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy. Countries with a national strategy have succeeded in dramatically lowering their suicide rates. In coordination with that we need a National Inuit Mental Wellness Strategy – the two would work together that would ensure policy and programs that are responsiveness to the health, social and economic realities in Canada‟s Arctic.”

In Ottawa, the national Inuit organizations and the local Inuit community will mark the day by having a picnic lunch on Parliament Hill, complete with Inuit throat singing and drumming and a demonstration of Inuit games.

“Our population has experienced rapid change during the course of just a few generations.” commented Rhoda Innuksuk, President of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. “As we move forward with the many challenges that face our communities, it is important today to recognize this day for what it is – a celebration of life. We have a strong unique culture that guides us in our everyday life and sustains us in difficult times. This is our way, the Inuit Way.”

The Ajunnginiq Centre at the National Aboriginal Health Organization, which focuses on Inuit health and wellness, will distribute its series of resources on mental health at the event. Also, politicians from NIYC, ITK and Pauktuutit will address the crowd with messages of hope and will speak about the many suicide prevention initiatives that are taking place in Inuit communities across Canada.

Inuit pop star Susan Aglukark is a special guest at today‟s event. Aglukark has written about the issue of suicide in her music. “I want to make sure no one will be „Slippin Through the Cracks‟, as I chronicle in one of my songs. I want to make sure we do celebrate our lives and think about the forgotten ones we have lost, and ensure no one feels they are the forgotten ones.”

This is the second year for the Inuit gathering on Parliament Hill.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Stephen Hendrie
(613) 277-3178
hendrie@itk.ca

National Inuit Youth Council
Tommy Akulukjuk, Youth Intervenor
(613) 238-8181 ext 251
akulukjuk@itk.ca

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
Ulrike Komaksiutiksak
Director of Programs
(613) 769-4577
Ulrike@pauktuutit.ca

Ajunnginiq Centre, NAHO
Denise Rideout
Communications Officer
(613) 301-4484
drideout@naho.ca