Nunavut suicide inquest jury retires to draft recommendations

Joanasie Akumalik: “Have you ever lost something valuable? I have,” Akumalik said of his son, Clyde, who died by suicide Oct. 12, 2013. (FILE PHOTO)

Clyde Api Akumalik, whose death by suicide in 2013 is one of two such deaths that came under scrutiny at a special coroner’s inquest on suicide in Iqaluit. As of Sept. 25, a six-person jury was still deliberating over recommendations. (FILE PHOTO)

Joanasie Akumalik delivered a heartfelt speech on his son’s death to jury members of a coroner’s inquest on suicide Sept. 24 before they departed to draft a series of recommendations to address Nunavut’s atrociously high rate of suicide.

“Have you ever lost something valuable? I have,” Akumalik told the jury.

“This evening we will be celebrating Clyde’s birthday very quietly… when we lose something valuable, it’s hard. When you lose your son it’s even harder.”

The Akumaliks are one of the two families affected by suicide who participated in the inquest, which began Sept. 14 and has explored — through testimony from mental health experts, government officials and frontline responders — the underlying social problems in Nunavut that produced a record 45 suicides in 2013.

Jury members are expected to weigh in on several contested issues brought to light during the inquest and offer recommendations based on that testimony to presiding coroner Garth Eggenberger on Sept. 25.

“Think about something we can do tomorrow,” said an emotional Akumalik.

Legal representatives from the government, Inuit organizations and other members of the failed suicide prevention partnership were also allowed to give their own recommendations and comments to the jury before deliberations began.

“NTI [Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.] agrees with the recommendations that there is a need for an entity at the working level within the GN [Government of Nunavut] that is given the mandate and authority to lead implementation on the next action plan in collaboration with all partners,” NTI health and policy analyst Kiah Hachey told the jury.

Jurors will have to decide whether to stay with the existing suicide prevention strategy and action plan or instead recommend a new endeavor starting from scratch.

“My submission is that’s something to build on, not to redo. There’s been an action plan put it place, its been evaluated, and there’s a number of good recommendations for revitalizing that plan going forward,” said Shelton Toner, legal counsel to the coroner.

Legal representatives were unanimous in acknowledging the importance of the 42 recommendations set out in the suicide action plan evaluation.

There were mixed messages, however, on who would pay for any necessary suicide prevention infrastructure moving forward.

“In the absence of a solid factual foundation, it is not possible to base a recommendation directed at the federal government to increase funding to any particular government or organization,” said RCMP lawyer Tracy Carol.

She said any recommendation for funding from Ottawa is uninformed without knowing what the GN and Inuit organizations have already set aside for suicide prevention: they were not disclosed at the inquest.

“These policies [attempts of assimilation, forced relocation, residential schools] have contributed to the state of Inuit society today and contributed to the high rates of suicide that we’re seeing,” said Hachey.

“As these were the Crown’s initiatives at the time, they hold the fiduciary responsibility to continue to provide continuous multi-year funding and programming regarding suicide prevention in partnership with Inuit organizations.”

Chuck Birchall, representing the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, also questioned the absence of the federal government at the inquest when indigenous suicide was such a central subject in the Truth and Reconciliation Committee report released in Ottawa in June.

The coroner’s legal counsel advised the jury to add time frames whenever possible to their recommendations, and not to be afraid of attaching dollar signs to initiatives despite the rhetoric.

“The government has detailed rules around budgeting,” Toner explained to the jury. “But, if you make recommendations that are going to cost money, and that need to be carried out, if there is sufficient political will to make those things happen — the budget can be made to happen.”

Other issues the jury might address in their recommendations include:

• incorporating suicide specific education and coping courses into the school system;

• suggesting that mandatory cultural orientation and grief counseling programs be provided to frontline workers in law enforcement and healthcare;

• improving prevention and “post-vention” treatment in communities; and,

• strengthening interdepartmental communication to detect and treat people deemed at-risk for completing or attempting suicide.

The jury is expected to provide their set of recommendations to the presiding coroner Sept 25, although no hard deadline has been set if jurors decide to take more time to deliberate.

People who struggle with suicidal thoughts may contact the Kamatsiaqtut help line in Iqaluit at (867) 979-3333 or toll-free at 1(800) 265-3333, from 7 p.m. to midnight.