The Lac La Ronge Indian Band and the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation have declared a state of crisis following the suicide of four youths this month.
The most recent suicide took place in Deschambault Lake, about 500 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, when a 10-year-old girl took her life.
“The community of Deschambault Lake is in shock from the news of this tragic death,” said Peter Beatty, chief of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.
“We are in crisis mode.”
Two girls from Stanley Mission and one from La Ronge — all between the ages of 12 and 14 — also committed suicide earlier this month.
Bobby Cameron, chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), said they are shocked and saddened by the tragic deaths.
“Our young people are in a state of despair and crisis,” Cameron said in a release.
“The FSIN will help coordinate an action plan with the community leadership and their young people in efforts to prevent suicides.
“The youth need to be a part of any plan that goes forward.”
READ MORE: Victim’s family says suicide a problem across northern Saskatchewan for years
Cameron went on to state that both the federal and provincial governments need to be part of the response.
Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook Season said local officials have begun work on a suicide and wellness strategy to combat the crisis. She is also working to establish a wellness treatment recovery centre in La Ronge.
“Nobody’s invincible, we all struggle, we all have our own issues that we have,” Cook-Searson said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that his government is prepared to work with indigenous communities to deal with “this ever-occurring tragedy” across the country.
Health Canada issued a statement stating it will help fund costs for three mental-health therapists to provide counselling to at-risk youth on Fridays and Saturdays until the end of December.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said his government is working to provide better support to the communities and are working “with local leadership to ensure that they stop.”
Wall said there will be a meeting with the Lac La Ronge band through the Northern Lights School District later this month.
READ MORE: Brad Wall says more needs to be done after rash of suicides in northern Sask.
Beatty said any long-term strategy has to incorporate “an inclusive and holistic approach to addressing these terrible tragedies.”
Earlier this year, a string of suicide attempts in Attawapiskat in northern Ontario garnered international media attention.
With files from The Canadian Press
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