Campaign to ‘de-normalize’ suicide: some recommendations from Nunavut inquest

IQALUIT, Nunavut – Suicide is a long-running tragedy in Nunavut, where people kill themselves at 13 1/2 times the rate of the Canadian average. Here are some of the recommendations to come out of an inquest into the suicides of two people from Nunavut.

— The territorial government should immediately declare suicide to be a public health emergency in Nunavut

— The government should create a minister responsible for suicide prevention

— A secretariat on suicide prevention should be created and given adequate resources. It should report to the minister

— A public awareness campaign should be created to “de-normalize” suicide

— Suicide prevention curriculum materials should be introduced in schools

— Community grief support networks should be created

— A followup protocol should be established for people who unsuccessfully attempt suicide

— All three regions of Nunavut should have substance abuse treatment centres

— All levels of government should provide adequate, multi-year funding for suicide prevention

— The territorial government should recommit to the goals of Nunavut’s 2010 suicide prevention strategy