'Your life matters': Nunavut officials sign 4th suicide prevention plan

Hope was the message from Nunavut officials as they signed the territory's fourth suicide prevention plan on Wednesday. 

Inuusivut Anninaqtuq lays out a series of actions that four agencies — Nunavut RCMP, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Embrace Life Council, and the government of Nunavut — have committed to. 

Health Minister John Main called the 48-page document "a roadmap towards a Nunavut where suicide is no longer normalized." 

Premier P.J. Akeeagok said a march by youth in Iqaluit in 2021 demanding action on suicide spurred some of the actions in this plan.

"They wanted to see hope, where before there was uncertainty and despair," he said. "We took that message to heart."

"Your life matters, you matter, and there's hope and there's always help."

Main said his goal is for the territory's rate of suicide to match, or fall below, the national average.

So far this year, 29 people have died by suicide in Nunavut, according to the coroner's office. There were 37 suicide deaths in 2023, 27 in 2022, 37 in 2021, and 27 in 2020.

In a news conference in 2022, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed estimated suicide rates in Inuit Nunangat to be five to 25 times higher than the rate in the rest of Canada.

Accountability a cornerstone 

There are 25 action areas in this plan, which include a variety of issues which go beyond the immediate response. They include:

• Inuit training, employment and retention

• Enhancing in-territory assessments for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

• Mandatory training around abuse and harassment for Team Nunavut participants

• Complete the addictions and trauma treatment facility in Iqaluit

• Taking a therapeutic approach in handling court matters involving Inuit 

• Launch two territorial summits on suicide prevention in 2025 and 2028

A committee will also be created to track the progress of each department on their designated task. 

A number of actions from the previous five-year plan haven't been implemented.

Main acknowledged there was a lack of clarity around who was responsible for each project, but this new plan addresses that. 

"There's clear accountability, they're all evidence-based approaches. And it's all coming from mental health experts, Inuit organizations, youth, and elders," he said. 

Opal McInnis, president of the board for Embrace Life Council (Isaksimagit Inuusirmi Katujjiqatigiit), is optimistic there will be accountability in this new plan. 

"One of the actions specifically focuses on … developing an evaluation model that is Inuit-formed and Inuit-led," she said.

The funding her organization has received through this plan includes work on areas like a Nunavut-specific anti-bullying campaign, an Inuit-specific lens on 2LGBTQIA+ resources, and grief support. 

Measures for youth resilience

One of the areas Main said he's particularly passionate about is around youth resilience. 

The document lays out plans to establish a Youth Council for Nunavut, and a Youth Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Committee, and create more spaces for youth in each community.

"Looking at how we can build resilience within our youngest population … that gives them the skills to deal with mental health challenges when and if they come," Main said. 

Talking about suicide can be difficult and triggering, McInnis said.

Her advice is to always spread a message of hope, and to understand that there is help, for those struggling and those who know of people struggling.

"You might also be under-resourced … so ensure you're tapping into your network and advising friends on some of the other resources they can utilize."

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• In Nunavut, reach the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line 24/7 at 1-800-265-3333 or 867-979-3333.
• Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text between 4 p.m. and midnight ET).
• Hope For Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310 (phone, available in Inuktitut, Cree and Ojibway upon request).
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.