[Witness speaks in Inuktitut].
My name is David Tuanasie.
[Witness speaks in Inuktitut].
I'm the MLA for South Baffin, representing Cape Dorset and Kimmirut here in Nunavut.
Welcome, Mr. Chairman and committee members.
Since time is of the essence, I'm going to focus on a few things that I hope will help you in your recommendations.
I should say something when the territory has a minister responsible for Nunavut suicide prevention. Our territory set aside $4.5 million just to address the issue of suicide.
I also want to say kudos to you. I see you've invited some youth to attend this special committee appearance. In speaking with the youth in my communities, I know they want to have a voice. I try to help them. I want to be a voice for them. They have their own voice, of course. They can be loud. I have four children of my own who are loud.
The other thing I wanted to say is that I'm calling for Canada, as a nation, to have a national suicide prevention strategy. Of course Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami has come out with their own strategy specifically for Inuit. If there's a national strategy, we can get the proper support and a cohesive approach from the federal level down to the local level.
There has to be a multi-pronged approach in addressing this issue. The $4.5 million that the territorial government set aside is doing just that. I have to commend the government for coming out and declaring suicide a crisis in Nunavut. They've assigned the associate deputy minister, who I think has taken on this issue.
It's a big task to take on. The people who are in these positions dealing with suicide on the ground, the front-line workers, need the most support, I'd say.
I also want to say it's unfortunate, as you might have heard, that one of the communities I represent, in Cape Dorset, lost a school last year to a fire. Just recently, in the last week, there was another attempted arson at the only other school in town. These are some of the things we're dealing with on a day-to-day basis, but we have to look at what's underneath the surface of these issues.
Suicide is another thing. I've been told more than once that if we talk about it, it means more people are going to commit suicide. I wholeheartedly disagree with that. I think we need to talk about it and be able to be comfortable in addressing it, as individuals but also as a collective.
I'm glad that you're able to come here and hear from us directly. I hope it means that for those at risk, you can provide some opportunities and some options and help them develop a healthy mind.
Essentially, that's what I wanted to say.
[Witness speaks in Inuktitut] Thank you.