Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, on October 3rd, the chief coroner released the 20212022 Early Release of Suicide Data Report to raise the alarm on the escalating rate of suicide in the territory. There had already been more suicides by September of this year than in any year total in the previous two decades.
Madam Speaker, Indigenous youth that identify as male were among the majority of those who turned to suicide due to the stress of their daily life. What does this say about the state of our territory and the kinds of resources, supports, and opportunities the government is providing for Indigenous young men to succeed and live healthy lives?
Madam Speaker, I have had the privilege of working with an Indigenous youth in my constituency. With his permission, I want to share a little of his story to acknowledge the difficulties he experiences and to honour the incredible strength and resilience he has shown to overcome these challenges.
Madam Speaker, this youth is intelligent, a determined student and a star athlete. He has the potential to be anything he wants in life yet he continuously faces barriers to his health, wellbeing, and dreams because he, as a youth, has lacked a stable home environment and financial resources. This is not his fault, Madam Speaker, but he is being punished for it.
When he reaches out for help, this youth faces a myriad of barriers that would be overwhelming for an adult to navigate let alone someone as young as 15. For example, what is for many a simple act of registering for an athletic tournament, for him is a series of "nos" to his funding requests because he is not eligible or does not qualify for financial support. Despite these disappointments, he always moves forward and finds ways to support his own aspirations, including through working hard at his parttime job while maintaining his studies.
Madam Speaker, it is important to understand the life experiences of this youth and those of so many other Indigenous male youths. Understanding these life experiences would allow the government to design programs and create resources that could provide critical supports to young Indigenous males throughout their lives. The time to support Indigenous male youth, and all youth, is now.
Madam Speaker, every statistic provided by the chief coroner is a person who was loved by their family and their community. So today I share, out of respect and care for them, and all youth in our territory. The youth are our future leaders and they deserve all the support we can give them to realize their dreams and potential. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
