Indigenous Success Stories

Suicide Prevention

National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy

February 23, 2022

Inuit Tapariit Kanatami – Inuit did not, historically, suffer from disproportionately high rates of suicide. It is a public health crisis in Inuit Nunangat that can and must be prevented. The high rates of suicide in Inuit Nunangat are a symptom of the social and economic inequities that have existed between Inuit Nunangat and most other regions of Canada since Inuit began to be impacted by colonization and transition off the land into permanent settlements.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s top priority, as we identified in our 2016-2019 Strategy and Action Plan, is to take action to prevent suicide among Inuit.

The specific objectives and actions ITK will take to prevent suicide among Inuit fall within six priority areas:

  1. creating social equity,
  2. creating cultural continuity,
  3. nurturing healthy Inuit children from birth,
  4. ensuring access to a continuum of mental wellness services for Inuit,
  5. healing unresolved trauma and grief, and
  6. mobilizing Inuit knowledge for resilience and suicide prevention.

https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ITK-National-Inuit-Suicide-Prevention-Strategy-2016.pdf