Mushkegowuk Council Releases Findings from “The People’s Inquiry Into Our Suicide Pandemic. States: “Nobody Wants to Die. They Want the Pain to Stop.”Mushkegowuk Council: January 20, 2016. Media Release.
"January 20th, 2016, Thunder Bay, ON- Mushkegowuk Council is calling on all levels of Government, First Nations, community members, and agencies, to implement recommendations identified in a report titled: “The People’s Inquiry Into Our Suicide Pandemic.” Today, at the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Winter Chiefs Assembly, the Mushkegowuk Council, that represents seven First Nations, presented the report. This follows two years of public hearings and the documentation of personal stories and identifying possible solutions to address the suicide pandemic crippling the region.
Between the years of 2009 and 2011, the people of Mushkegowuk experienced one of the most difficult situations they have ever faced. Suicide was taking hold of First Nation communities and taking the lives of many. It was estimated that over 600 children and youth thought about or tired to take their own life, more tragically many committed suicide. In response, a state of emergency was declared, and following numerous failed attempts for governmental support, Mushkegowuk made the decision to take full control and responsibility of the situation by designing their own process for a public inquiry."