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Sask. M.P. calls for more resources to communities affected by suicide

Nov 2, 2016 | 10:00 AM

The northern Saskatchewan Member of Parliament is calling on the federal government to provide more resources to communities affected by the recent string of suicides.

Georgina Jolibois, M.P. for Desnethe – Missinippi – Churchill River said her heart goes out to the families and friends in each community affected.

“I understand with these incidents in Loon Lake, Stanley Mission, La Ronge, and Deschambault Lake, everyone in the North is affected,” Jolibois said. “I have asked the Prime Minister, on behalf of (Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations) who extended two invitations, for him to come visit the northern communities.”

She added that invitation still stands. Besides asking Trudeau to visit, Jolibois is asking for Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and Jane Philpott, Minister of Health to also visit the communities.

The requests haven’t received a response yet.

“As an M.P., I’m doing what I can to work with FSIN and the reserves to put pressure on the federal government to provide further assistance on the ground for families who really need assistance right now,” Jolibois said. 

To help heal and move forward, Jolibois said instead of ‘Band-Aid’ approaches with temporary mental health workers sent to the communities, supports and resources need to be provided for what’s already there.

“Our elders play a critical role and resources are needed to make sure assistance is provided to the elders to be able to continue the work they are doing,” she said. “Secondly, the language and the culture need to be acknowledged for youth, family and elders. Mental health is just short term, the teams sent in usually aren’t long term and once leave, the long term assistance fades away.”

Through conversations with community leaders, specifically in Loon Lake, Jolibois said school assistance is the top priority.

She said there’s unfair expectations placed on teachers due to lack of long-term planning.

“The teachers are doing an excellent job in providing what they can and doing what they can as teachers, but they’re not mental health therapists,” Jolibois said. “The leadership often has a plan, in this case, in Loon Lake, they’re requesting mental health therapists and counsellors in the school to provide assistance not only the teachers but students.”

Jolibois is calling for more community planned events, things to ensure youth, family and elders are kept busy.

To accomplish this, she said agencies providing mental health need to be expanded on a permanent basis and communities need to come together more often to plan events.

Six girls between the age of 10 and 14 have taken their own lives this month in northern communities, including Stanley Mission, Deschambault Lake, La Ronge and Makwa Sahgaiehcan.

 

Colton Swiderski is meadowlakeNOW’s municipal affairs, crime and court, health and education reporter. He can be reached at cswiderski@jpbg.ca or tweet him @coltonswiderski.