THUNDER BAY -- For many First Nation communities, youth suicide has become an epidemic.
Earlier this month, a state of emergency was declared in Wapekeka First Nation after the tragic loss of two 12-year-old girls to suicide. The loss came after Health Canada apparently failed to fund a proposal submitted by the community in July 2016 for mental health supports.
NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler has called on the federal government to take action of First Nation proposals to improve access to health services.
“Unfortunately, there were no immediate concrete commitments made following our meeting,” Fiddler said.
“We stressed the urgency of the situation that many of our communities are finding themselves in, including Wapekeka.”
Fiddler added that there’s a need to develop a more comprehensive strategy to deal with the issues within these communities.
The communities have submitted a proposal for the transformation of the delivery of health care in our communities, and Fiddler is asking the government to act on it.
The strategies are based on the strength of the community, the resources they had to work with and the needs of the community.
Fiddler said funding became an issue for the community during the past two years, which was brought forward to the prime minister.
“The federal government needs to start developing longer term strategies with our communities rather than just a piecemeal crisis oriental response we’ve been seeing now,” he said.
Fiddler said it’s a tragic loss every time a young person takes their lives.
“I’m not sure how many more we can take…for many of our communities, especially Wapekeka, it’s almost unbearable the loss they’ve suffered and we can’t keep going like that.”
Clinical service worker Valerie Ooshag said now is the time for healing.
“Now is the time for our youth to be heard and to be taken care of. How many lives to we have to go through just to realize that,” Ooshag said.
Ooshag is hoping elders will engage with the youth by asking them what they need to cope with life rather than just speaking on their behalf.
“I try to tell my youth back home to not be afraid…to go for help and I always tell them there’s better things in life,” she said.
“I think every youth needs to feel that, especially, those who don’t have a support system.”
She said youth need a safe place where they can offer counselling from someone who doesn’t read out of the books.
“When you go to a community and you just read out of the books for situations…you don’t understand what they are actually going through,” Ooshag.
“The best way to be a counselor is to know how it feels to be at that point.”
