Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami puts suicide prevention at top of to-do list
'It's something that we need to deal with and we need to understand more fully,' says Natan Obed
The president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami says suicide is a crisis across Inuit regions.
The national Inuit organization released its strategy and action plan yesterday, outlining seven goals for the next three years, with suicide prevention at the top of the list.
Natan Obed says suicide prevention is a personal priority.
"It's something that we need to deal with and we need to understand more fully and need take action on," he says."It's my hope that at the national level, we can frame this issue of suicide and suicide prevention in a complete and holistic way that everyone can agree on."
Obed says his goal is to create and release a national Inuit suicide prevention plan this summer.
He says the four land claim organizations will work together with ITK on the plan.
Other priorities include housing, reconciliation, education, and the environment.