Nunavik resident demands action from leaders on suicide crisis

The Hudson Strait community of Salluit lost two residents to suicide last week — this after five youth died by suicide in Kuujjjuaq over the last four months. (FILE PHOTO)

I am totally frustrated, because there have been two suicides last week in my hometown of Salluit.

The leaders at the Makivik’s annual general meeting held last March in Kuujjuaraapik were all worked up talking about suicides.

One leader was even so glad that he had gone through difficult times — a lot of good that did to help anyone.

Wake up, Inuit: it’s time to make changes; all the social workers are not going to solve our social problems. It is Inuit leading Inuit who will save lives because they know and value life.

Leaders of Nunavik: Please stop standing by while living is made harder, and learn to forgive one another, because this is really an obstacle to networking (helping each other, like our forefathers did.)

For example, the cost of rent for housing is going to be raised again. When it was said that everyone at the AGM cared for the youth of Nunavik, please, please lower the cost of airfare for our youth, who we all know are our future.

Sometimes it is good to get out of the same surroundings day after day.

Ensure that there will be jobs for them when they finish their education. The continued hiring of southern people, especially social workers to work in our communities, is a big, big failure and costs us a lot of money and lives.

We may look like Inuit and act like such, but we are forgetting to care for one another, so don’t blame the white man for our loss in this matter.

When you look very carefully, it seems as if the Inuit are living in a prison state, all because there are some who want to continue pretending to do their job. Please stop this.

If you are a leader, please lead and get elders to be your advisors, because sometimes we are too young to know any better.

There is strength in numbers, but we also need to have a common cause that your youth can apply and understand.

Name withheld,
Nunavik

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