The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is calling on both the provincial and federal governments for additional mental health support, after releasing a new report Monday that highlights high suicide and self-harm rates within the Indigenous community.
They said they have a plan that is ready to be implemented if they receive the funding for it.
A press conference was held Monday morning with First Nations Chiefs and headwomen. They each shared their own anecdotes of those who have died by suicide in their communities, emphasizing how close to home this hits.
“It’s another pandemic in itself,” said Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation Chief Ronald Mitsuing.
The report, in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council, tracked suicide and self-harm rates from 2001 to 2020 between First Nations and Non-First Nations people.
According to their findings, First Nations males die by suicide three times more than non-First Nation males. First Nation females die by suicide about six times more than non-First Nations females.
In terms of self-harm hospitalizations, First Nations males are five times more likely to be hospitalized than non-First Nations males. First Nations females are nine times more likely to be hospitalized than non-First Nations females.
The report did not include data from 2020 onwards.
“I think, though, given the mental health issues that people face as part of the pandemic, I don’t think we have any reason to believe it would have improved over that time,” Saskatchewan Health Quality Council CEO Tracey Sherin explained.
FSIN Vice-Chief David Pratt said they are ready to implement their plan called the “Life Promotion” strategy.
“We’re ready to go. We have a full comprehensive Life Promotion strategy in place that just needs the funding and the resources to move forward,” Pratt said.
Little details were given about the proposal, but Pratt explained that the plan would allow each First Nations community to develop its own strategy to combat mental health issues.
Pratt isn’t blaming any current parties or organizations for what they call a mental health crisis and the intergenerational trauma within Indigenous communities but said action must be taken.
“It’s not our fault, not anybody in this room. It’s not any of us sitting around this table. Even the current federal and provincial government. But it is our job to address it,” Pratt said.
Chief Margaret Bear echoed the sentiment of Pratt, putting a twist on the word reconciliation.
“Reconcili-action, right? That’s the buzzword now that we want to use,” Bear said.
Global News contacted the provincial and federal governments for comment.
On Tuesday afternoon, the province’s Ministry of Health acknowledged the high self-harm and suicide rates in Indigenous populations and said they are willing to work together on initiatives that are community-led and culturally appropriate.
A statement read, in part: “Addressing self-harm and suicide are priorities for our government. We have invested more than $92M in new funding for mental health and addictions since 2018. In 2022-23, we are investing $2.25M to support suicide prevention, including $500K to work specifically with Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations on suicide prevention initiatives.”
The statement went on to list specific programs the government has funded, including the Roots of Hope initiative, the Mental Health Capacity Building initiative and FSIN’s youth mental wellness camp.
The FSIN said it has been grateful for the government’s input thus far, but explained that this is a long-term crisis that requires long-term funding.