Latest news with #NunavutTunngavik
CBC
11 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Nunavut declares suicide to be a crisis — again
The government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) have re-declared suicide to be a crisis, mirroring a move the territory made a decade ago. The declaration was one of 32 recommendations from a coroner's inquest in April. That inquest looked into the circumstances around the death of George Arlooktoo, 28, during a confrontation with RCMP officers in Kimmirut six years ago. The inquest jury found that Arlooktoo died by suicide on Feb. 9, 2019, from multiple stab wounds to his neck. John Main, Nunavut's health minister, said Wednesday the declaration now is an opportunity to refocus the government's efforts on the territory's fourth suicide prevention plan. "We are still in a crisis. It is a crisis, it meets the definition absolutely," he said. "We want to make sure that [the action plan] is implemented in an aggressive manner that recognizes the fact that we are in a crisis here, and the fact that this cannot continue." In 2024, 32 people died by suicide in the territory, according to the chief coroner's office. That's on par with the average over the past decade. The territory has the highest rate of deaths by suicide in the country. NTI vice-president Paul Irngaut said suicides have continued despite their best efforts but the focus now has to be on the future. "Suicide prevention is not a checklist. It's not judged by success or failure," he said. "We can't just say why didn't it happen a long time ago or why can't it happen now. I mean, it's an ongoing issue and the more we deal with this, the less suicides there will be." Public health emergency not deemed 'best approach' Former premier Peter Taptuna's government declared suicide a crisis in October 2015 — two years after the territory saw a record high number of people taking their own lives. The move came after another coroner's inquest that year which called for suicide to be declared a public health emergency. The Nunavut government has again stopped short of declaring a public health emergency. Under the territory's public health act, doing so would have granted the territory's chief public health officer special powers, including striking new agreements with the federal government and procuring medical aid. For years, Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster has pushed for an emergency declaration. "What we hear on a regular basis from the government of Nunavut is that one of the other crises that we are in is a lack of human resources," she said. "A public health emergency in this crisis could bring so many resources in order to fully implement that action plan." Main said his department looked into declaring an emergency, but the chief public health officer determined it was not the "best approach". He did not elaborate further. However, he said suicide prevention is a multi-faceted issue that demands a complex response. "Some people have a very narrow view of suicide prevention and think of a counselor and a patient … but it's much broader than that," he said. "It's child protection, it's housing, it's anti-bullying, it's providing supportive services to those who have mental health needs when they need them. It's more Inuktitut to be used in mental healthcare." Need to change crisis response Brewster believes right now, the default response to somebody in crisis is to send the police, which she believes needs to be changed. "If we're sending police in to check on people when they are in a mental health crisis, that can create more of a crisis for the individual because it creates fear," she said. She noted that one of steps outlined in the territory's action plan is to provide suicide training across Nunavut's communities, though she said there isn't a clear commitment in the plan about how that will be achieved. "What's most important is effectively arm community members with the ability to walk each other through this ongoing crisis," she said. The jury in the coroner's inquest in April made 32 recommendations. Main said there will be a more detailed response coming on the remaining ones, as they require input from multiple other agencies and departments. Next week, Main plans to hold a meeting with partners to discuss how to advance the suicide prevention strategy and where they should target funding and resources. While the crisis declaration isn't legally binding, he said there are ways for Nunavummiut to hold the government accountable. "Judge us by our actions: how many mental health staff do we have on the frontlines, how many shelters we have or spaces for youth, how many services we have available for children in need around social services," he said.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Supreme Court of Canada dismisses Nunavut's bid to toss out school language case
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCOC) and Justice and Confederation Building of Parliament Hill are pictured in Ottawa on Monday, June 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — A lawsuit over the right to Inuit language instruction in the Nunavut public school system is a step closer to being heard following a Supreme Court of Canada decision. The top court has dismissed the Nunavut government's latest bid to have the lawsuit thrown out before the parties make full arguments. Two Inuit mothers with school-aged children and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, a non-profit that represents Inuit interests in the territory, launched the case against the Nunavut government. Under Nunavut legislation, all schools were to provide fully bilingual instruction — Inuktut and either English or French — from kindergarten to Grade 12 by July 1, 2019. But the deadline passed with Inuit language instruction available only from kindergarten to grade 3. In 2019, the legislation was amended and the requirement to provide bilingual education for all students from kindergarten to Grade 12 was postponed by 20 years. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
CBC
29-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Supreme Court of Canada dismisses Nunavut's appeal to toss Inuktut education lawsuit
A lawsuit over the right to Inuit language instruction in the Nunavut public school system is a step closer to being heard following a Supreme Court of Canada decision. The top court has dismissed the Nunavut government's latest bid to have the lawsuit thrown out before the parties make full arguments. Two Inuit mothers with school-aged children and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, a non-profit that represents Inuit interests in the territory, launched the case against the Nunavut government. Under Nunavut legislation, all schools were to provide fully bilingual instruction — Inuktut and either English or French — from kindergarten to Grade 12 by July 1, 2019. But the deadline passed with Inuit language instruction available only from kindergarten to Grade 3. In 2019, the legislation was amended and the requirement to provide bilingual education for all students from kindergarten to Grade 12 was postponed by 20 years.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Supreme Court of Canada dismisses Nunavut's bid to toss out school language case
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCOC) and Justice and Confederation Building of Parliament Hill are pictured in Ottawa on Monday, June 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — A lawsuit over the right to Inuit language instruction in the Nunavut public school system is a step closer to being heard following a Supreme Court of Canada decision. The top court has dismissed the Nunavut government's latest bid to have the lawsuit thrown out before the parties make full arguments. Two Inuit mothers with school-aged children and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, a non-profit that represents Inuit interests in the territory, launched the case against the Nunavut government. Under Nunavut legislation, all schools were to provide fully bilingual instruction — Inuktut and either English or French — from kindergarten to Grade 12 by July 1, 2019. But the deadline passed with Inuit language instruction available only from kindergarten to grade 3. In 2019, the legislation was amended and the requirement to provide bilingual education for all students from kindergarten to Grade 12 was postponed by 20 years. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
CBC
09-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Feds commit $1.5B to fulfill Nunavut Land Claim in historic deal
The federal government has committed to spend $1.5 billion over 10 years to carry out promises it made in the Nunavut land claim agreement. Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok, federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Jeremy Tunraluk signed the new Nunavut Agreement Implementation Contract in Ottawa on Saturday. The ceremony was held at Nunavut Sivuniksavut College. "This agreement means finally investing in the Inuit dream of Nunavut," Akeeagok said. The existence of a Nunavut Agreement Implementation plan is a requirement under the Nunavut land claim. Implementation contracts are meant to set out how the governments of Canada and Nunavut, and Nunavut Tunngavik will work to implement the land claim — including details on funding. Anandasangaree called the new implementation contract a "bold 10-year plan to fulfill commitments in the Nunavut Agreement." In addition to the $1.5 billion promised from 2024 to 2034, the federal government will also spend $77.6 million per year after that period. The contract also includes: $600 million for employment training initiatives aimed at increasing the representation of Nunavut Inuit in the territory's public service; $50 million to create an Inuit Heritage Centre in Nunavut to house the territory's artifacts and archives; Substantial funding increases for hunters and trappers organizations (HTOs) in Nunavut. Saturday's signing marked the first time the parties have successfully negotiated a Nunavut Agreement Implementation Contract since the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement was ratified in 1993. That agreement was supposed to be renegotiated in 2003, but the parties reached an impasse. Nunavut Tunngavik eventually launched a lawsuit against the federal government for failing to honour the agreement. The parties reached an out of court settlement in 2015. In his speech, Tunraluk said Nunavut Tunngavik and the Nunavut government can meet the objectives of the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement for the first time, because the new contract gives them the resources they need. "Like the day of the signing of the Nunavut agreement in 1993, today is a beginning," Tunraluk said. The funding for training provides a path to a public government in Nunavut that is "by Inuit, for Inuit," he said. The new contract "nearly triples" the funding for hunters and trappers organizations and regional wildlife organizations in Nunavut, he said, adding that it's the first increase those groups have gotten since the original contract was signed in 1993. Institutions of public government in Nunavut, including the Nunavut Water Board and the Nunavut's environmental assessment agency, are also set to receive more money, which Akeeagok and Tunraluk said is badly needed. During Saturday's event, Anandasangaree also announced the federal government would be renewing the Inuit Child First Initative. The program, which provides funding for social, health and educational support to all Inuit children in Canada, was set to expire March 31. Many Inuit leaders had advocated for the program to be renewed.
