The Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) urges the Government of Canada to:

The CFMS looks forward to working with the Government of Canada towards building a strong Indigenous mental health and wellness strategy that is responsive to community needs. This strategy should have culture as its foundation; foster community development, ownership, and capacity building; promote Indigenous self-determination; provide quality care and competent service delivery; encourage partnerships and collaboration; and ensure effective and efficient allocation of resources.

• Adopt the frameworks and strategies put forward by Indigenous communities and peoples in Canada to guide the federal response to the Indigenous mental health and suicide crisis:
• Adopt the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework as a framework to address First Nations peoples’ mental health and suicide
• Adopt the National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy as a framework to address Inuit peoples’ mental health and suicide.
• Undertake a comprehensive review of the current distribution of funding through the National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy (NAYSPS) in collaboration with Indigenous communities, to ensure that every Indigenous community receives funding that is both sustainable and provided in accordance with need.
• Direct Health Canada and Indigenous Services Canada to re-evaluate what programs and services are funded under the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB), and:
• Increase funding for preventative and land-based mental wellness programs that create opportunities within the community.
• Support and expand the list of approved service providers to include Indigenous traditional knowledge keepers.

The CFMS looks forward to working with the Government of Canada towards building a strong Indigenous mental health and wellness strategy that is responsive to community needs. This strategy should have culture as its foundation; foster community development, ownership, and capacity building; promote Indigenous self-determination; provide quality care and competent service delivery; encourage partnerships and collaboration; and ensure effective and efficient allocation of resources.