THUNDER BAY -- The mental health of youth and residents living in First Nations communities is an ongoing battle.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler will attend an emergency meeting with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Patty Hajdu, this afternoon in Ottawa – along with several other federal ministers – to discuss next steps in addressing what has been described as a suicide crisis.
There are a number of elements, of course, that contribute to this ongoing crisis.
Speaking to Dougall Media, Hajdu said major contributors to the crisis are the long-lasting effects of colonization, intergenerational trauma, and systemic racism.
She made it clear that the impact of all of these combined elements to the well-being of Indigenous Canadians and First Nations communities cannot be overstated.
“I think a lot of Canadians don’t necessarily understand the severity of that trauma. There’s been inequities in funding for First Nations that have led to higher rates of poverty and poorer education outcomes. Our government has been working to try to ensure equity in a number of those spaces, but the gap is extremely large,” she said.
Hajdu said it was a call from Fiddler that prompted an emergency meeting.
“When Grand Chief Fiddler called me last Sunday night to tell me about the death of another Nishnawbe Aski Nation youth, my heart broke. This was a 12-year-old girl who took her own life. There’s been a steady string of young people who have taken their own lives over a number of years,” Hajdu said.
“This isn’t a new problem for First Nations – certainly not for Nishnawbe Aski Nation. In 2017, after a similar string of suicides, Nishnawbe Aski Nation met with a number of ministers – myself included and the Prime Minister – and Choose Life was born.”
Choose Life is a program designed by NAN to support youth in their territory with over 150,000 youth having participated since the program’s inception.
The federal government has invested around $560 million into the program.
Despite the creation of the program and other mental health outlets that have been introduced in the years since, Hajdu said there is still a huge need for intervention and prevention.
“We’re still seeing young people feeling so hopeless that they choose suicide instead of life. I’m really looking forward to meeting this afternoon to figure out where we go from here together,” she said.
Hajdu also expressed disappointment with the provincial government.
“Despite the invitations from Chief Fiddler to the province of Ontario, they have not been able to find even one minister to send to this meeting. Oftentimes, Nishnawbe Aski Nation youth are residing outside of First Nations or getting health care from the province or territory in a variety of different ways. In fact, it’s the provincial responsibility to provide equitable health care.”
Grand Chief Fiddler stressed the importance of this meeting in a post on his Facebook page.
“Since becoming Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation four months ago I have attended more funerals, delivered more eulogies, and hugged more grieving mothers than I can count,” Fiddler wrote.
He made note of the fact that today's meeting in Ottawa is all about coming up with a strategy for how "we can work together to save lives."
“Our children want to live. And they deserve better," Fiddler wrote in the post.
