NUNAVUT
Premier Peter Taptuna declared suicide a crisis in Nunavut and announced the formation of a special cabinet committee Oct. 22 in response to recommendations from a coroner's inquest into the high rate of suicide.

The declaration on the second day of the legislative assembly's fall sitting comes after the jury at a two-week inquest in September heard the Government of Nunavut had failed to do its part in implementing a lapsed suicide prevention strategy.

Saying the government heard the jury's recommendations loud and clear, Taptuna outlined action being taken immediately.

"We have struck a special cabinet committee that is mandated to follow and implement recommendations from the coroner's inquest," said Taptuna.

"The special committee is going to be led and chaired by the minister of Health and includes the ministers of Housing, Education and Family Services, as well as myself. This committee is cross-sectional, as no single department can take sole responsibility," Taptuna said.

"We need to place families at the centre of service delivery. This means better integration of health, education, housing, family services, and of our external partners to improve outcomes and results for Nunavummiut."

An associate deputy minister will be appointed in the coming days to specifically direct and co-ordinate cross-departmental initiatives.

"The position will feed into and work with our partners, non-governmental organizations, hamlets and various government departments. Shared responsibility is essential if we are to have any chance of success," Taptuna said.

Funding will be organized to support specific initiatives in the area of suicide prevention. At the inquest, the jury repeatedly heard that a column identifying required resources had been deleted by the territorial government when it tabled the suicide prevention strategy in 2010.

"The immediate task ahead for the associate deputy on suicide is to manage and outline, with the minister of Health, new monies and a costing process to identify the needed funds, new staffing positions and recruitment efforts, new program dollars, training programs, and supports to implement the inquest recommendations, as well as support the broader suicide strategy. The minister of Health will bring those costed and analyzed requests to the house in the winter session," said Taptuna.

The winter session normally begins in February.

So far the territorial government is keeping to deadlines as recommended by the jury, including, it appears, allotting resources by April 1. Taptuna also touched on many other recommendations.

Asked why the GN did not declare a public health emergency as recommended by the jury, Taptuna's chief of public affairs Yasmina Pepa explained, "A public health emergency usually leads to an initiation of emergency responses in specific events, such as ebola, SARS, 911 attack, hurricane/flooding - those that tend to be temporary in nature."

Nunavut chief coroner Padma Suramala called the discretionary inquest in January 2014 due to the unprecedented 45 suicides in 2013. Nunavut News/North sent Suramala the statements made by Taptuna and Health Minister Paul Okalik in the legislative assembly for her response.

"The premier is the highest on the chain of command and he has acknowledged that the number of people dying by suicide is a crisis in Nunavut and he is confirming solutions for tackling this crisis. I'm really glad to see that. And it's great news for Nunavut," Suramala said.

She considers a "crisis" designation of greater significance, with greater societal consequences than a public health emergency.

"It can't wait," said Suramala, whose duty it will remain to follow up on all jury recommendations in the coming months.

In her mind, that the premier addressed the jury's recommendations on the first real day of the sitting - the previous half day was relegated to bills - means the government's energy and motivation are high.

"And everybody, like Paul Okalik, acknowledges that everyone, even in the legislative assembly, including himself, a minister, at one point in their family or they themselves were the victims of suicide."

In his statement Okalik, delved into his own personal experience.

"As some of you know, I lost my older brother to suicide when I was 13. I was traumatized. Years later, as I contemplated suicide, it was my older sister Ida who saved me with her love," said Okalik.

Suramala is grateful that members of the Legislative Assembly are acknowledging their own pain.

"If people are seeing that even the minister of Justice and Health openly says that he was contemplating suicide and was rescued by his sister with her love ... That is a hope ... Saying that there is a darkness but always the next day the sun will rise."

Jack Hicks, a social researcher who testified at the September hearing, has long maintained that progress would not be made in suicide prevention in the territory without strong Inuit political champions.

Both Taptuna and Okalik have stepped forward to lead the charge against the darkness taking the lives of a disproportionately high number of Nunavut youth.

"I'm here today and, in my sister's memory, I want to give Nunavummiut words of hope. Surround yourself with loved ones. There are many. Spend time on the land learning our ways from our elders. Challenge yourself and the system by getting an education. It is the reason I got a law degree," said Okalik.

"Believe in tomorrow."

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