Suicide Crisis in Canada
Every culture within Canada has suffered from different issues since coming to Canada but none have suffered as much as the Aboriginal population of Canada. For many generations, this race of people, from the Inuit to the Cree, have been taken advantage of without remorse. It has been happening for many generations and will continue to happen unless something is done to put an end to it, once and for all. From treaties to comments made everyday, we are further hurting an already bleeding race, metaphorically speaking. Many people today are uneducated about what these people have been through since the beginning of colonization of Canada by explorers. One of the biggest issues that these people face is higher rates of
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According to a study focusing on Aboriginal, Metis, and Inuit people living off reserve aged 26- 59, done in 2012 by Statistics Canada, more than one in five Aboriginal people have reported suicidal thoughts. Statistics Canada acquired more data in 2012 showing 21.4% of Aboriginal males and 25.8% of Aboriginal females have had suicidal thoughts; whereas the non-Aboriginal population had 11.1% males and 13.8% of females had similar ideas. Within that same survey, data was found that showed a difference between Metis men and women. This difference emerged as Metis women being more likely to report having suicidal thoughts. It also showed that First Nation people living off reserve and Inuit men were more likely to have these thoughts when compared to non- Aboriginal men. These statistics are powerful and I hope that they can change for the better in the …show more content…
Attawapiskat is a small Aboriginal community of approximately 2000 people, according to an article written in 2016, located in a remote area of northern Ontario. In the year of 2016, this small community declared a state of emergency after eleven people attempted suicide on a Saturday night. Over the course of one weekend, about sixteen people attempted suicide. In 2016, when the article was written, it said that since September, over 101 people have attempted suicide and there were 28 attempts in March alone. In the year 2015, before this crisis began, a thirteen year old girl named Sheridan Hookimaw hung herself in the month of October. According to an article, she is the only fatality to date from the rash of suicide attempts that began in September. Stephanie Hookimaw, the mother of Sheridan says that the state of emergency should have been declared in September then she would not have lost her child. Sheridan was bullied a lot at school by her peers and teachers. They called her names like, “fat and stupid” according to an article written in April of 2016. She had from many health problems like sleep apnea, diabetes, obesity, thyroid problems and rheumatism which made it difficult for her to walk were all what she suffered with. She missed a lot of class time because she had many medical appointments to attend. People bullied her to the brink of suicide and pushed her off the edge without any
Fleras, Augie. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.” Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print.
Imagine being taken from your family at the age of six. Being referred to as a number rather than a name. Receiving brutal and cruel punishments for speaking the only language you were taught. How would it impact your life? Unfortunately, this is the reality for millions of Canada's Indigenous population. The nation of Canada is known to the world for being a country of peace, love and equality. Individuals originating from different nationalities immigrate to Canada, in hopes to improve their standard of living and escape the horrors of their country. Moreover, Canadians have not always been as supportive and welcoming of new ethnicities populating Canadian territory as they portray themselves to be today. Indian Horse is known to be an insightful
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
Generations of native people in Canada have faced suffering and cultural loss as a result of European colonization of their land. Government legislation has impacted the lives of five generations of First Nations people and as a result the fifth generation (from 1980 to present) is working to recover from their crippled cultural identity (Deiter-McArthur 379-380). This current generation is living with the fallout of previous government policies and societal prejudices that linger from four generations previous. Unrepentant, Canada’s ‘Genocide’, and Saskatchewan’s Indian People – Five Generations highlight issues that negatively influence First Nations people. The fifth generation of native people struggle against tremendous adversity in regard to assimilation, integration, separation, and recovering their cultural identity with inadequate assistance from our great nation.
Living in Canada, there is a long past with the Indigenous people. The relationship between the white and First Nations community is one that is damaged because of our shameful actions in the 1800’s. Unnecessary measures were taken when the Canadian government planned to assimilate the Aboriginal people. Through the Indian Act and Residential schools the government attempted to take away their culture and “kill the Indian in the child.” The Indian Act allowed the government to take control over the people, the residential schools took away their culture and tore apart their families, and now we are left with not only a broken relationship between the First Nations people but they are trying to put back together their lives while still living with a harsh reality of their past.
Likewise, the death rate among Aboriginals infant is 4 times the rate of Canada as whole. Aboriginals preschoolers and teenagers death rate is 5 times and 3 times the national rate respectively. (Aboriginal Nurses Association Canada (A.N.A.C), 2009, p.8). Cultural discontinuity has been associated with higher rates of depression, alcoholism, suicide and violence which is greater on the Aboriginal youth (Kirmayer et al, 2000). According to Health Canada document on suicide prevention, suicides rate is highest in the world among Inuit youth. In Nunavut, 1989 to 1993 suicides rate was 79 cases in 10000, but in 1999 to 2003 the cases were risen to 119. (Aboriginal Nurses Association Canada (A.N.A.C, 2009, p.9).
Definition: Mental health has become a pressing issue in Indigenous communities. Often, a combination of trauma, a lack of accessible health resources, substance abuse, violence, and socioeconomic situations lead to high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in Indigenous Peoples. This crisis is especially apparent in Indigenous youth, where there is a growing suicide epidemic but little mental health support and resources are provided. The increase in stigmatized and untreated mental illness has continued as trauma and systemic injustices remain unaddressed. Indigenous groups, governmental parties, and health organizations are involved.
It can be said without a doubt that the indigenous peoples of Canada have had to undergo much turmoil in order to reach the point that they are at today. When one looks at the timeline of events and the laws implemented since the arrival of the Europeans in North America it can be considered a miracle that so many aspects of the rich culture and tradition of these people have survived to see today. It is a blessing that these people have been able to pass down the languages, cultural and societal beliefs, as well as their stories from generation to generation so that the people of North America and the world today may be able to know and study these civilized and multifaceted cultures. The First Nations people of Canada have had to go through many types of oppression since the arrival of the settlers. And even though society has slowly made strides in the right direction in respect to eliminating the oppression on aboriginal peoples there still remains a vast inequality between the aboriginals of Canada and that of their counterparts of European descent in the forms of their educational differences which lead to difficulties in employment as well as an increased crime rate.
Despite the decreasing inequalities between men and women in both private and public spheres, aboriginal women continue to be oppressed and discriminated against in both. Aboriginal people in Canada are the indigenous group of people that were residing in Canada prior to the European colonization. The term First Nations, Indian and indigenous are used interchangeably when referring to aboriginal people. Prior to the colonization, aboriginal communities used to be matrilineal and the power between men and women were equally balanced. When the European came in contact with the aboriginal, there came a shift in gender role and power control leading towards discrimination against the women. As a consequence of the colonization, the aboriginal women are a dominant group that are constantly subordinated and ignored by the government system of Canada. Thus today, aboriginal women experiences double jeopardy as they belong to more than one disadvantaged group i.e. being women and belonging to aboriginal group. In contemporary world, there are not much of a difference between Aboriginal people and the other minority groups as they face the similar challenges such as gender discrimination, victimization, and experiences injustice towards them. Although aboriginal people are not considered as visible minorities, this population continues to struggle for their existence like any other visible minorities group. Although both aboriginal men and women are being discriminated in our society, the women tends to experience more discrimination in public and private sphere and are constantly the targeted for violence, abuse and are victimized. In addition, many of the problems and violence faced by aborigin...
(Parrott, Z. 07, March 13).All of their history significantly predates the arrival of European settlers. (Parrott, Z. 07, March 13). They were severely threatened by colonial forces, Aboriginal culture, language and social systems have shaped the development of Canada. (Parrott, Z. 07, March 13). There are about 10 cultural areas in North America where the Aboriginal tribes are divided. (Parrott, Z. 07, March 13). But only six areas are found within the borders of what is now Canada. (Parrott, Z. 07, March 13).All of these tribes that are in Canada before our time has had the most major part in founding our country. (Parrott, Z. 07, March 13).Of what they have accomplished then helped us for the long run now. (Parrott, Z. 07, March 13).We should be for respectful towards them and remember what all of them had to go
Thesis: Given the struggles aboriginals have had to face in Canada, the Canadian government should take action to
Reed, Kevin, Natasha Beeds, and Barbara Filion. Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2011. Print.
Metha, A. &. (1996). Suicide among American indian youth: the role of schools in prevention. Journal of American Indian Education, 36(1). Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://jaie.asu.edu/v36/V36S1sui.htm
Coloradas Mangas is one among many American Indians that have personally been a victim of suicide attempt as well as a victim of grief for many of his friends and family. Coloradas’ story is a consequence of the lack of culturally appropriate and adequate mental health services for American Indian and Alaskan Native youth. Serious consequences resulting from the absence of such services are the high suicide rate, its impact on future generations of an already less populated ethnicity and the unfairness of having no resources to improve quality of life, thus proving that this is a pertinent problem that must be tackled now. This health disparity has been neglected for too long and is something that we, as a healthcare advocating country, need to start addressing.
Similar to other marginalized groups affected by colonialism due to the government in power, the Indigenous peoples of Canada have struggled as a nation due to the unequal treatment they have encountered in the past. The governing bodies that control these Indigenous communities have continued to have colonialistic tendencies that attempt to put the ‘white man’s’ needs before the Indigenous peoples.