Minister Aglukkaq to Host Circumpolar Mental Wellness Symposium

March 20, 2015 – Ottawa, Ontario – Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council will host the Circumpolar Mental Wellness Symposium in Iqaluit, Nunavut, from March 25 to 27, 2015.

Canada made the promotion of mental wellness in circumpolar communities a priority under its Arctic Council chairmanship. The Circumpolar Mental Wellness Symposium marks the culmination of this priority. Delegates will include Indigenous representatives, researchers, youth, and policy-makers. The symposium, which will be a forum to discuss ways to improve mental wellness among Arctic peoples, takes place over three days, with a special focus on mental wellness and youth.

Opening remarks will be delivered on March 25 by Minister Aglukkaq along with Paul Okalik, Minister of Health from the Government of Nunavut, and Duane Smith, President of the Canadian Inuit Circumpolar Council.

Canada’s Arctic Council chairmanship initiative on mental wellness has identified culturally appropriate best practices for suicide prevention and shared them with community leaders across the circumpolar world.

The symposium is being organized by the Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut and the Inuit Circumpolar Council, which are working in partnership with Norway, Denmark, the United States and Russia. The symposium is supported in part by Bell Canada’s Let’s Talk.

Quick Facts

The theme for Canada’s 2013-2015 Arctic Council chairmanship is Development for the People of the North. Canada’s chairmanship concludes at the council’s ministerial meeting in Iqaluit on April 24 and 25, 2015.
In order to set Canada’s theme for its Arctic Council chairmanship, Minister Aglukkaq toured the North and met directly with Northerners to ensure their input was reflected in Canada’s priorities at the Arctic Council.
Since 2006, the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and its Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health, has invested over $247 million in Indigenous health research. CIHR is the Government of Canada lead on Canada’s chairmanship initiative of promoting mental wellness in circumpolar communities.
The Arctic Council is the leading body for international cooperation in the Arctic region and promotes the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development in the Arctic.
Quotes

“Canada has put Northerners at the forefront of the Arctic Council’s agenda. Under our chairmanship, the Council has taken decisive action to improve the lives of Northerners by focusing on issues that make a difference, such as promoting sustainable economic development and mental wellness.

“Building resiliency and promoting mental wellness is a major part of creating healthy and strong communities. The outcomes of this symposium will support this goal in Canada’s North and across the Arctic.”

– Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council

“Mental wellness and suicide prevention are main objectives of the Government of Nunavut. I look forward to exploring this shared priority with my colleagues, individuals who have been impacted by or work in mental health, and researchers from around the circumpolar world. Together, we will continue to find innovative ways to help our citizens be healthy, well and safe.”

– Paul Okalik, Minister of Health, Government of Nunavut

Associated Links

Canada’s Arctic Council Chairmanship
Ministerial Meeting 2015
Circumpolar Mental Wellness Symposium
The Arctic Council
Sustainable Development Working Group
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