We have hope’: Ottawa pledges to support First Nations suicide prevention strategies – CBC

The Department of Indigenous Services isn’t ready to earmark money for suicide strategies

Dec 04, 2019

In the wake of a 10-year-old girl’s suicide on his reserve, the Chief of Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation flew more than 3,000 kilometres to Ottawa to sit face-to-face with the federal minister of Indigenous services.

In that meeting Wednesday morning, Chief Ronald Mitsuing received confirmation from Minister Mark Miller that the federal government would financially support a suicide prevention strategy released last year by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) in Saskatchewan.

The strategy was billed as the first “decolonized, First Nations-led approach” to suicide prevention and intervention in Canada.

“I’m so happy today. It’s something. The government is going to work with us,” Mitsuing said. “We have hope, now. He gave us hope.”

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/ottawa-pledsges-to-support-fn-suicide-strategy-1.5384067