$69 Million Allocated to Mental Health Initiatives in First-Nations Communities

Saturday, April 9th 2016, 11 children attempted to take their own lives in a remote Northern Ontario community, Attawapiskat. A shock to many Canadians, mental health problems and suicides are not uncommon problems on reserves or for First-Nations peoples. The suicide rate of Indigenous youth versus that of non-indigenous Canadians is approximately 6 times and is one of the leading causes of death in Indigenous, Inuit and Metis people (Globe and Mail, Tuesday, April 12)

SO WHAT IS BEING DONE?

On Monday, June 13th, after speaking with over 20 First-Nations youth from Northern Canada, Justin Trudeau pledged $69 million towards mental health services for Indigenous peoples to be administered over the next 3 years.  Though a detailed breakdown of how the money will be spent is not yet fully available, the government plans to implement at least 4 crisis response crews, and 32 additional mental wellness resource teams.  At least $2 million is being directed to the Attawapiskat community alone to hire four mental health workers and to build a youth outreach center, among other local initiatives. Shockingly, prior to calling a state of emergency in response to the attempted suicides on April 9th, the Attawapiskat community only had 1 mental health worker. This mental health worker was not available to residents under 18 years of age (CBC, Wednesday, May 11th). Additionally, the government has pledged to assist in creating and maintaining a “culturally appropriate”, 24 hour suicide prevention phone line for northern Indigenous youth.  Full disclosure of where the funds are being directed will be available July 27th.

IS IT ENOUGH?

Although the announcement of $69 million for mental health and suicide prevention is a welcome addition to northern communities, several high-profile Indigenous leaders believe that the amount of funding required to solve issues currently effecting their communities is much higher. Attawapiskat Chief, Bruce Shisheesh was pleased to hear about the allocation of resources towards his community, but believed the problems facing First Nations communities would require ongoing attention and resources, and stated that, “We’re still in crisis mode… not just in Attawapiskat but all across Canada,” and that, “It will take a lot of work to bring healing” (CBC, Thursday, June 14th).Moreover, Cindy Blackstock, the leader of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society who fought the government for 9 years on the underfunding of Indigenous youth welfare services believes that more funding will be needed in the future. Although she has expressed that the additional funding is a step in the right direction, she believes the amount necessary to provide welfare services to Indigenous children that match the quality of services for non-Indigenous populations is around $200 million (Toronto Star, Monday, June 13th).

So, the additional funding will make a dent in the current issues faced by First Nations populations, but will not solve them altogether. Although heavier contributions will be necessary to make lasting changes in the communities being funded, the allocation of $69 million is a step in the right direction.

*This post originally appeared on www.inacservices.com