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   Canadian Parliament to Hold Emergency Session on Aboriginal Suicide Surge

   by VOA News

   The Canadian parliament will hold an emergency debate in response to an
   aboriginal community that has declared a state of emergency following
   11 suicide attempts by its members this past weekend. Twenty-eight
   suicide attempts were reported last month in the Northern-Canadian
   community of 2,000 people.

   Nine of those 11 were minors. A nine-year-old and 12 others were
   brought to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation Monday, after having
   been overheard making a suicide pact.

   Leaders of the community of Attawapiskat cite underlying despondency
   and pessimism among their people, as well as an increasing number of
   prescription drug overdoses in 2016, in trying to explain the
   widespread tragedy facing their community.

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his commitment to improving
   living conditions for indigenous people, stating in a tweet Sunday that
   the news was "heartbreaking."

   Isolation, economic challenges

   Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson who represents 30 aboriginal
   communities, said, "We feel isolated -- we don't feel part of the rest
   of the world."

   She described the economic challenges facing aboriginal communities
   throughout the country, saying "the basic needs are astronomical."

   The isolated communities are often plagued by unemployment and
   sometimes lack access to clean drinking water, but all have Internet
   access, allowing them to see the rest of an affluent nation so
   different from their world.

   Another Canadian aboriginal community in Manitoba applied for federal
   aid last month after 140 suicide attempts in two weeks.

   Canadian aboriginals make up about four percent of the country's
   population and have lower life expectancies and higher levels of
   poverty than other Canadians. They also have higher rates of violent
   crime, addiction and incarceration.

   According to Health Canada, suicide is among the top causes of death
   for indigenous communities in Canada.

   Last month, Canada announced it would devote more than $8 billion to
   improve the living conditions of the aboriginal population.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/canada-parliament-emergency-session-a
   boriginal-suicide-surge/3282770.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/canada-parliament-emergency-session-aboriginal-suicide-surge/3282770.html