QUESTION PERIOD — Health
National Suicide Prevention Action Plan
June 12, 2024
Senator Gold, on May 31, the government issued its National Suicide Prevention Action Plan. As you are also aware, the Senate released its report entitled Doing What Works: Rethinking the Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention. Two of the three major recommendations that the Senate had made, essentially, was for the government to acknowledge that there’s a suicide crisis in Indigenous communities in Canada, and, given the fact that 75% of suicides in Canada are committed by men and young boys, can you tell me why there’s no mention of the words “men and young boys” in this action plan?
Thank you for your question, senator, and thank you for your advocacy on this, and also for your courage in bringing this forward and humanizing this tragic situation within this chamber and for the benefit of Canadians.
The scourge that has afflicted too many Canadians — young boys and men in Indigenous communities and elsewhere — is a tragedy. The government remains committed to doing its part to provide the support and framework within which those supports can be given.
I will make some inquiries with the minister vis-à-vis the language to which you refer. But the government remains committed to doing its part in addressing this tragic situation in this country.
Thank you for that. As you’re aware, Senator Gold, I was part of the committee as a member, looking into suicide prevention — rethinking the suicide prevention strategy — and I also appeared as a witness because of my personal experience.
If we want to deal with reducing the number of suicides in Canada, we have to target the core issue, and the core issue is the 75% of suicides that are committed by men and boys. If we are serious about reducing the number of suicides, there must be mention of it.
I take your point, senator. But I’m sure you will agree with me as well that it is also fundamentally important to address the root causes — social, economic, societal and historical causes — that give rise to this, whether it’s despair or other factors that drive people to consider taking, much less take, their own life.
