Inuit Celebration of Life Highlights Need for Action to Address Suicide Rate among Inuit Youth

September 10, 2015

Suicide is responsible for 40% of deaths among Inuit youth, compared with 8% in the rest of Canada. The National Inuit Youth Council and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national voice of Canada’s 60,000 Inuit, are calling attention to this growing crisis on Parliament Hill today as part of World Suicide Prevention Day.

“We are here to celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of our Inuit culture and to recognize the strength we have as a people and to build on this strength,” said Maatalii Okalik, President of the National Inuit Youth Council, which represents Inuit aged 15-24.

Inuit have the highest suicide rate in Canada and one of the highest suicide rates in the world. According to Statistics Canada, the suicide rate among children and teens in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland, was 30 times greater than that of youth in the rest of Canada during the five-year period from 2004 to 2008.

“This is a Canadian tragedy,” said Terry Audla, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. “We cannot solve this crisis alone, so we are reaching out for support from all sectors: public, private, non-profit, academia and individuals, to help find ways to reduce these heartbreaking numbers.”

With assistance from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund and the Mental Health Commission of Canada, ITK is developing a National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy which will draw on best practices and outline coordinated action at the regional and national levels over the coming years.

“Bell Let’s Talk is very proud to support Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “The Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund is supporting over 50 organizations this year, in every region of the country, all of which are making a difference in the lives of people living with mental illness, and the family and friends who support them. Over the last five years, the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund has invested more than $5 million in hundreds of community programs and services that improve access to mental health care.”

Note for media: When reporting on suicide, we kindly encourage you to follow these guidelines:  www.ottawasuicideprevention.com/media-guidelines.html

NT5