Declare a suicide crisis now, figure out what it means later
Nunavut should heed Kimmirut inquest jury’s recommendation to reflect dire situation
Suicide is a crisis in Nunavut, says a jury in Kimmirut, where a coroner’s inquest into the 2019 death of George Arlooktoo was held last week. (File photo)
The Government of Nunavut should declare a suicide crisis in the territory now, even if it means figuring out what it means later.
As one juror in a coroner’s inquest last week said, “we really need to do something.”
Declaring a suicide crisis was one of 32 recommendations the inquest jury in Kimmirut made last week. The inquest was looking into the 2019 death of George Arlooktoo, who stabbed himself as police entered his home. Officers were there to arrest him, believing he was in a mental health crisis after stabbing his partner the night before.
It was simply heartbreaking to read that juror’s comment on the inquest’s fourth day.
“Ever since George took his own life — committed suicide — we’ve had four other people who have done the same thing,” she said in Inuktitut through an interpreter. “This really is a crisis.”
Five suicides over six years must be devastating to a hamlet of fewer than 500 people.
It wasn’t perfectly clear what the jurors hoped would be accomplished by declaring a suicide crisis.
In the past decade or so, governments across Canada have started to declare particular social problems to be crises, emergencies or epidemics.
The British Columbia government in 2016 declared a public health emergency because of the increasing number of opioid-related overdose deaths.
In Ontario, there has been pressure on the provincial government to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. That recommendation came out of an inquest into the 2015 triple murder of three women in a rural area outside of Ottawa.
The federal government recognized femicide as an epidemic in 2023. But Ontario’s provincial government hasn’t acted yet, saying it needs to study the issue.
That appears to be the same approach the GN is taking to the Arlooktoo inquest’s call for it to declare a suicide crisis.
Premier P.J. Akeeagok declined to comment on the jury’s recommendation when a Nunatsiaq News reporter asked him about it. He deferred to Health Minister John Main, who is also responsible for suicide prevention. Main also declined comment, leaving a spokesperson to say the Health Department needed more time to consider the inquest’s recommendation.
It’s hard to deny that suicide is a crisis in Nunavut, so a declaration by the government would reflect what Nunavummiut — like that juror in Kimmirut — are saying and thinking.
Whenever governments declare any social issue to be a crisis, emergency or epidemic — whatever word applies — there’s a risk it will be merely symbolic.
But there’s also a chance the declaration will allow them to marshal resources to deal with a tragic situation. It signals the situation is one the government is prepared to train its attention on. And it focuses the public’s attention on the situation.
One of the very first issues MLAs faced after the October 2021 election was a student-led demonstration demanding change to mental health support and making more suicide prevention resources available in Nunavut.
Last year, the GN signed the Inuusivut Anninaqtuq Action Plan, Nunavut’s five-year plan for suicide prevention.
There are about six months left before the next territorial election.
There’s still enough time for MLAs to end this term focusing more attention on the same issue that faced them when they arrived — suicide prevention and mental health supports.
They don’t have any idea what to do.
Actually, the crisis exists, at least in part, because the government does not know how to do anything.
It just issues public announcements and gives money to southern consultants.
The crisis exists regardless what any current government declares anything or not. We need to keep on keeping on. It’s a struggle for everyone…
Keeping on doing nothing is the problem.
Reasons for unhappiness leading to self harm. Depression to treat depression. You must be diagnosed by a medical professional. Once diagnosed a medication treatment can be applied. During that period, assistance must be given to the individual to address that depression. If it is due to environmental stresses such as finance, living situation, i.e. overcrowded housing, or the socioeconomic standing of your community; government resources, and social assistance can be provided to navigate to individual in question. After depression is due to trauma related to mental or physical harm, long-term medical resource would be required along with medication.
The supports could remain in government institution spending in house. By growing hospitals and investing in local education for a new doctors and psychiatrist/psychologists. We would also have to reassure the general population that is supports are effective and accessible. Meaning we need to know that the attackers will end up in jail that we have stable jobs and homes. We need to be reassured and me to understand that our taxes are put to good use. We need to know that we can afford food homes, and insurance.
I agree. The government needs to manage this and expand on its services. Currently drug addiction and mental health centres are being privatized. The feds didn’t want to deal with the issue of mental health and closed down all the hospitals they ran, now they provide money to provincial governments who then hire private companies. It becomes unaffordable and or the government still ends up footing the bill but costs are exasperated. Just look at what’s happening in Alberta with the drug recovery model. It’s going to become a real issue if the federal government doesn’t step back in and get this under control. Having mental health issues and disorders is scary and lonely. It takes months to see a doctor and more months to be evaluated and then more months of waiting to get therapy (if you don’t go the private route).
The 2015 Suicide Inquest in Nunavut also led to the recommendation of declaring suicide in Nunavut a crisis. It didn’t happen. ITK issued a list of protective factors in relation to Inuit resilience shortly after Obed became President. I think if the GN takes that list and has its DMs work to build those protective factors in Nunavummiut, (https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2021-10/CCSA-Risk-Protective-Factors-Suicide-Mental-Health-among-Inuit-Report-2021-en_0.pdf ) and work to mitigate the risk factors, that’s a government wide plan right there that could be collaboratively worked on with NTI if that org under its new Pres has the appetite for true collaboration instead of wasting time resources and capacity with fighting the GN. The other thing that must happen is for Inuusivut MHA to be forced to demonstrate its efforts to recruit, train and retain Inuit counsellors including supporting them to become accredited Canadian counsellors. Holding community feasts and events looks good in the media releases but is it evidence-based as a mental health treatment? Where are the Inuit clinicians? For that matter where are the Nunavut based clinicians? Where have they all gone?
Raise your voice and say nothing… that’s all I see here.
No strategies or ideas on how to stem the issue. But surely a “declaration” will move the ball?
Why would it?
I lost my son to suicide.
Not a day goes by I miss him.🤕
He played AC/DC over and over.🤘
GN created the Embrace Life Council in early 2000s. Where are they? What they done? How much money spent where?
What are the external and internal circumstances that lead to suicide?
Always, we are humans – whether in places where the suicide rate is high such as pockets of the U.S. and Scandinavia, Nunavit and other isolated communities, or Guyana and Surinam or in jurisdictions where the overall rate os lower.
Some external circumstances are egregious, yet the vast majority soldier on. Others aren’t equipped. Often, external circumstances are positive and healthy; the majority flourish. Yet even there, some are not equipped.
We have the answers. We just need more of that very, very rare commodity, honesty. We won’t get that from mainstream media, nor from politicians, NGO staff, or most civilians.
Declare a crisis now, it was a crisis 30 years ago, wake up leaders.
Injuries, heart disease, and cancer are the leading causes of preventable death in Nunavut.
The number of suicides in Nunavut per year are recorded back to 2010 online. Since that time, the annual number has ranged from 20 to 40 consistently.
At no time in the past 15 years have more than 50 Nunavummiut taken their lives in a given year, and the highest number suicides were seen around 5 years ago.
In the past 15 years Nunavut’s population has increased by a quarter. That is to say, the suicide rate in Nunavut is actually dropping per capita.
I do not belittle suicide, but I hardly see how suicide should be considered a territorial emergency.
Basic personal safety, fitness, and smoking takes more lives. Those are not considered emergency situations. Perhaps they should before declaring other less significant causes.
The number of suicides is not increasing dramatically, it appears to be consistent if not declining relative to population.
There have been great efforts to focus on the needs of youth, awareness, and actually implement suicide prevention initiatives in Nunavut in the past 15 years.
I think these efforts count for something. Being alarmist about suicide would probably do no better.